Jeff Johnson (baseball)
Encyclopedia
William Jeffrey "Jeff" Johnson (born August 4, 1966) is a former Major League Baseball
pitcher
. He played with the New York Yankees
for his entire Major League career. Born in Durham, North Carolina
, Johnson attended South Granville High School
, then University of North Carolina at Charlotte
where he played college baseball
. He was only one of nine people from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to have played Major League Baseball. On June 1, 1988, Johnson was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 6th round (157th overall pick) of the 1988 amateur draft
. He was listed at 6' 3" in height, and 200 lb. in weight. During his three year Major League Baseball career, Johnson batted right-handed and threw left-handed. He is currently the pitching coach for the West Virginia Power
.
were playing against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium
, with 21,213 people attending the game. Johnson was the starting pitcher
for the game. He pitched until the seventh inning
, then he was replaced by Eric Plunk
. Plunk finished the game. Unfortunately, at the end of the game, the New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 4–1.
The New York Times
published an article on March 20, 1992, mentioning that Johnson had been bothered by rumors he had heard about the New York Yankees pursuing different pitchers.
Johnson played his final major league baseball game on June 12, 1993. On September 17, 1993, Johnson was released by the New York Yankees. He then signed as a free agent
with the Cleveland Indians
on February 14, 1994, though he never pitched for them.
At the end of his career, Johnson had pitched a total of 182.1 innings. He also earned a career earned run average
(ERA) of 6.52, with 8 wins and 16 losses, along with 76 strikeout
s.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe 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 a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. He played with the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
for his entire Major League career. Born in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, Johnson attended South Granville High School
South Granville High School
South Granville High is a high school in Creedmoor, North Carolina, and is part of the Granville County School System. It also contains South Granville High School of Health and Life Sciences.-History:...
, then University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte , also known as UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte, is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
where he played college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
. He was only one of nine people from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to have played Major League Baseball. On June 1, 1988, Johnson was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 6th round (157th overall pick) of the 1988 amateur draft
1988 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1988 Major League Baseball draft.-Supplemental First Round Selections:-External links:*...
. He was listed at 6' 3" in height, and 200 lb. in weight. During his three year Major League Baseball career, Johnson batted right-handed and threw left-handed. He is currently the pitching coach for the West Virginia Power
West Virginia Power
This article is about the baseball team, for the electric utility serving southeast West Virginia from 1986-99, see Allegheny Energy.The West Virginia Power is a minor league baseball team of the South Atlantic League, and is the Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in...
.
Major League Baseball career
Jeff Johnson made his major league debut on June 5, 1991 at age 24 with the New York Yankees. On that day, the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
were playing against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
, with 21,213 people attending the game. Johnson was the starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
for the game. He pitched until the seventh inning
Inning
Inning is a municipality in the district of Erding in Bavaria in Germany....
, then he was replaced by Eric Plunk
Eric Plunk
Eric Vaughn Plunk , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1986-1999.Plunk was involved in two trades for Rickey Henderson...
. Plunk finished the game. Unfortunately, at the end of the game, the New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 4–1.
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
published an article on March 20, 1992, mentioning that Johnson had been bothered by rumors he had heard about the New York Yankees pursuing different pitchers.
Johnson played his final major league baseball game on June 12, 1993. On September 17, 1993, Johnson was released by the New York Yankees. He then signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
on February 14, 1994, though he never pitched for them.
At the end of his career, Johnson had pitched a total of 182.1 innings. He also earned a career earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(ERA) of 6.52, with 8 wins and 16 losses, along with 76 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s.
External links
- Baseball Almanac
- Retrosheet
- WhatIfSports
- Jeff Johnson at Baseball ProspectusBaseball ProspectusBaseball Prospectus is an organization that publishes a website, BaseballProspectus.com, devoted to the sabermetric analysis of baseball. BP has a staff of regular columnists and provides advanced statistics as well player and team performance projections on the site...