Lance Johnson
| Lance Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Center fielder | |
| Born:July 6, 1963 Cincinnati, Ohio,U.S. | |
Batted:Left Threw:Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 10, 1987, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 27, 2000, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .291 |
| Home runs | 34 |
| Runs batted in | 486 |
| Stolen bases | 327 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Kenneth Lance Johnson(born July 6, 1963) is an American former professional baseballcenter fielder.
Career
[edit] | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(August 2024) |
Johnson was born inCincinnati, Ohio.After graduating fromPrinceton High School,he completed his education at theUniversity of South Alabama.TheSt. Louis Cardinalsdrafted him in 6th round of the 1984 amateur draft. In 1986, he led the Class AAArkansas Travelerswith 82runs,129hits,6triples,and a league-leading 49stolen bases.[1]At the age of 24, Johnson broke into the big leagues on July 10, 1987. Johnson, playing for theLouisville Redbirds,was the 1987American Association Most Valuable Player.From 1988 to 1995 Johnson played for theChicago White Sox.
Johnson is the only player in the history of Major League Baseball to lead both the American League and the National League in hits, and he did it in back-to-back seasons. He led the American League in hits in 1995 for the White Sox, and he led the National League in hits in 1996 for the Mets.
From 1991 through 1994, Johnson led theAmerican Leaguein triples, becoming the first player in Major League history to lead his league in triples for four consecutive years. In 1996, he led theNational Leaguein triples, becoming the third player in history to lead both leagues in triples (Sam CrawfordandBrett Butlerbeing the first two). Also one of three major leaguers (the other two are Joe Carter and Steve Sax) to lead both leagues in at bats two consecutive years. The Chicago White Sox in 1995 and with the New York Mets in 1996, making him the only major leaguer to lead both leagues in at bats, hits and triples. As of 2013, he is one of only four players (Crawford,Stan Musial,andWillie Wilson) to lead the league in triples as many as five times. He is also one of a handful of players to collect three triples in one game, doing so on September 23, 1995, in the White Sox' 14–4 victory over theMinnesota Twinsat theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.The three triples were part of a 6-for-6 performance for Johnson, who became the first White Sox to collect six hits in one game sinceFloyd Robinsonin 1962.
His finest season came in 1996 with the New York Mets. That year, he accumulated 227 hits, 21 triples (the highest single season total in that category since 1985), 50 steals, 31 doubles (the only season in which he accumulated at least 20), 69 Runs Batted In, 117 runs scored, and a.333 batting average, all career highs. This was Johnson's only season in which he was selected for the All Star team.
After the Mets, he played with theChicago Cubsfrom 1997 to 1999. He was slowed down by injuries during his years with the Cubs and in 2000. The Yankees won the World Series that year and Johnson was given a World Series ring for his service to the team.
In 1447 games over 14 seasons, Johnson posted a.291batting average(1565-for-5379) with 767runs,175doubles,117triples,34home runs,486RBI,327stolen bases,352bases on balls,.334on-base percentageand.386slugging percentage.He finished his career with a.983fielding percentageplaying at all three outfield positions. In 11 postseason games, Johnson hit.200 (7-for-35) with 3 runs, 1 home run, 7 RBI and 3 stolen bases.
His speed on the base paths, and his uniform number "1", earned him the endearing nickname "One Dog".
He now resides in Alabama with his wife and his three kids.
See also
[edit]- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball triples records
- List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders
References
[edit]- ^Jim Tommey and Kip Ingle, ed. (1987).St. Louis Cardinals 1987 Media Guide.St. Louis National Baseball Club. p. 103.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information fromBaseball Reference
- 1963 births
- Living people
- African-American baseball players
- American Association (1902–1997) MVP Award winners
- American expatriate baseball players in Canada
- Arkansas Travelers players
- Baseball players from Cincinnati
- Chicago Cubs players
- Chicago White Sox players
- Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
- Erie Cardinals players
- Louisville Redbirds players
- Major League Baseball center fielders
- Nashua Pride players
- National League All-Stars
- Newark Bears players
- New York Mets players
- New York Yankees players
- South Alabama Jaguars baseball players
- St. Louis Cardinals players
- St. Petersburg Cardinals players
- Triton Trojans baseball players
- Vancouver Canadians players
- 21st-century African-American sportspeople
- 20th-century African-American sportspeople