Hank Johnson
From BR Bullpen
Henry Ward Johnson
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Weight 175 lb.
- Debut April 17, 1925
- Final Game September 19, 1939
- Born May 21, 1906 in Bradenton, FL USA
- Died August 20, 1982 in Bradenton, FL USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Hank Johnson pitched 12 seasons in the big leagues, more than half of it with the great New York Yankees during the time of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. He went 14-9 in 1928, 14-11 in 1930, and 13-8 in 1931.
Hank was born and died in Bradenton, FL and began his minor league career playing two seasons (1923-24) with the Florida State League team in Bradenton. His best years in the minors were 1927, when he went 18-10 for Milwaukee, 1937, when he was 11-7 for Montreal, 1939-40 when he was 9-3 and then 12-5 for Birmingham, and 1941, when he was 13-12 for Birmingham and Memphis.
When he first came up to the majors, Johnson was the youngest player on the 1925 Yankees. He pitched in 24 games but then spent virtually all of 1926 and all of 1927 in the minors.
From 1933-35 he was with the Boston Red Sox. With the 1933 Red Sox, his 8-6 record was accomplished on a team that went 63-86. In 1934-35, as Lefty Grove and other pitchers joined the team, the team's win-loss record improved but Johnson's ERA got worse. He was then with the 1937 Athletics and the 1939 Cubs.
He finished in the minors in 1943 with Memphis.
