Connie Johnson (December 27, 1922 – November 28, 2004) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who played in the

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

and

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. He was born Clifford Johnson Jr. in

Stone Mountain, Georgia Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 according to the 2020 US Census. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square mil ...

.Biography
''Negro Leagues Baseball Museum''. Retrieved on November 25, 2018.

Baseball career

Negro leagues

In 1940, Johnson initially played for the minor league

Atlanta Black Crackers The Atlanta Black Crackers (originally known as the Atlanta Cubs and later briefly the Indianapolis ABCs) were a professional Negro league baseball team which played during the early to mid-20th century. They were primarily a minor Negro league ...

, then quickly moved up to the Toledo-Indianapolis Crawfords before ending up on the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...

, all at the age of 17. After a solid season, he was selected to the

East-West All-Star Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

, being the youngest player ever to achieve that distinction. Afterwards, Johnson played a key role in the 1941 and 1942

Negro League World Series The Negro World Series was a post-season baseball tournament that was held from 1924 to 1927 and from 1942 to 1948 between the champions of the Negro leagues, matching the mid-western winners against their east-coast counterparts. The series was a ...

titles won by the Monarchs, a team that included future Hall of Famers

Satchel Paige Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...

and

Hilton Smith Hilton Lee Smith (February 27, 1907 – November 18, 1983) was an American right-handed pitcher in Negro league baseball. He pitched alongside Satchel Paige for the Kansas City Monarchs between 1932 and 1948. He was inducted into the National B ...

. In 1943, Johnson enlisted in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

for three years. Following his discharge in 1946, Johnson returned to the Monarchs and went 9-3 with a 3.46

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

,Negro and Minor Leagues statistics
''Baseball Reference''. Retrieved on November 25, 2018. helping his team win another pennant, even though he did not pitch in the Series. He went 4-1 in the next two seasons, but rebounded in 1950 with an 11-2 mark and a 2.17 ERA while appearing in his second All-Star Game.

Canadian Provincial League

In 1951, Johnson played for the St. Hyacinthe Saints club based in the

Canadian Provincial League Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

, where he posted a 15-14 record with a 3.24 ERA and a league-high 172

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s. At the end of the season, his contract was purchased by the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

Major League Baseball

Chicago White Sox

In 1952, Johnson was assigned to Class A

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, where he finished 18-9 with a 3.38 ERA and set a Western League record with 233 strikeouts. He then was promoted to the White Sox, and made his major league debut at the age of 30 on April 17, 1953.Major League statistics
''Baseball Reference''. Retrieved on November 25, 2018. During his rookie season at Chicago Johnson pitched in 14 games, starting ten of them, going 4–4 with a 3.56 ERA and 44 strikeouts. After spending the entire 1954 season in the minors with Triple A

Charleston Senators The Charleston Senators were an American minor league baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They were the first professional baseball team to play in Charleston, beginning play in 1910. The team was inactive during a few periods, playin ...

, Johnson started 16 games for Chicago in 1955. He finished the season 7–4 with a 3.45 ERA and 72 strikeouts. In his first two years Johnson sandwiched between Triple A

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

and the Sox. As a result, in 1956 he pitched in five games with Chicago and went 0–1 with six strikeouts and a 3.65 ERA. Overall, Johnson went 11–9 with a 3.51 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 36 games (28 starts) with the White Sox, starting 28 of them, and going 11–9 with 122 strikeouts. During the midseason, Johnson was traded by Chicago along with

Mike Fornieles : José Miguel Fornieles y Torres (January 18, 1932 – February 11, 1998) was a Major League Baseball pitcher from La Habana, Cuba. The right-hander pitched a one hitter in his major league debut on September 2, . Washington Senators Fornieles s ...

George Kell George Clyde Kell (August 23, 1922 – March 24, 2009) was an American Major League Baseball third baseman who played 15 seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics (1943–1946), Detroit Tigers (1947–1952), Boston Red Sox (1952–1954), Chicago W ...

and

Bob Nieman Robert Charles Nieman (January 26, 1927 – March 10, 1985) was an American professional baseball player and scout. An outfielder, he spent all or parts of a dozen Major League Baseball seasons with the St. Louis Browns (1951–52), Detroit Tiger ...

to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

in exchange for Jim Wilson and

Dave Philley David Earl Philley (May 16, 1920 – March 15, 2012) was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball. A switch hitter who threw right-handed, he debuted on September 6, and played his final game on August 6, . He was born in Paris, Texas. ...

Baltimore Orioles

Johnson started 25 games for the Orioles in 1956, going 9–10 with a 3.43 ERA and 130 strikeouts in innings, including two

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s and nine complete games. His most productive season came in 1957, when he finished 14–11 with a 3.20 ERA for a lousy team that finished in fifth place in the then eight team American League. Besides, Johnson posted career numbers in starts (30), complete games (14), shutouts (3) and innings (242.0). During his final season in 1958, Johnson was the Opening Day starter for the Orioles and defeated the Washington Senators, 6–1, at Memorial Stadium. Overall, he went 6–9 with a 3.88 ERA and 68 strikeouts. In a five-year major league career, Johnson finished with a 40-39 record and 3.44 ERA in 123 pitching appearances (100 starts), including 34 complete games and eight shutouts, while striking out 497 and walking 257 in 716.0 innings of work

Final years

Johnson then returned to the minors to play for the

Vancouver Mounties The Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1956– 62 and – 69. Its home field was Capilano Stadium. During the Mounties' first tw ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

from 1959 to 1960. He finished his career in 1961, while pitching with the

Pericos de Puebla The Pericos de Puebla (English: "Puebla Parrots") are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla, Mexico. History The state of Puebla came upon baseball in the early 1920s when returning Poblanos that had come from militar ...

in the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. In 182 minor league games, he went 76-44 with a 3.34 ERA in 1034.0 innings.

Caribbean highlights

In between, Johnson played winter ball with the Spur Cola Colonites club of the Panamanian League, who won the 1950-51 pennant and represented Panama in the

1951 Caribbean Series The third edition of the Caribbean Series (''Serie del Caribe'') was played in 1951. The Series inauguration on February 21 was delayed due to heavy rain and it was held from February 22 through February 26, including two double-headers on Februar ...

. The team's only victory in the series came behind a strong pitching effort from Johnson, who pitched a two-run, eight-hit complete game over the highly favored Leones del Habana Cuban team. Afterwards, Johnson pitched for the Tigres de Marianao in the 1954-55 Cuban League season, and was a bright spot for the last-place Marianao, going 12-11 with a 3.29 ERA while leading the league in strikeouts (123), shutouts (5) and innings pitched (174⅔).Liga Cubana de Béisbol Profesional : Temporada 1954-55
''Desde mi Palco de Fanático website''. Retrieved on November 25, 2018. After his playing days, Johnson worked for the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, retiring in 1985. He died in 2004 at the age of 81.

Sources

External links

, o
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
an
Seamheads
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Connie 1922 births 2004 deaths African Americans in World War II United States Army personnel of World War II Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Chicago White Sox players Kansas City Monarchs players Major League Baseball pitchers Marianao players Sportspeople from Stone Mountain, Georgia Vancouver Mounties players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Panama American expatriate baseball players in Cuba Charleston Senators players Colorado Springs Sky Sox (WL) players Pericos de Puebla players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico St. Hyacinthe Saints players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Toledo Crawfords players 21st-century African-American people African-American United States Army personnel