Oscar Johnson (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Oscar "Heavy" Johnson was a baseball
player in the Negro Leagues
. He played catcher
and outfielder
. Johnson was one of the Negro League's foremost power hitters in the 1920s, reportedly weighing 250 pounds, and known for hitting home runs. Longtime MLB
umpire Jocko Conlan
once said that Johnson "could hit a ball out of any park."
In his rookie season with the Kansas City Monarchs, Johnson batted .389, and posted a .345 average in the Cuban winter league. Johnson was credited with 18 home runs in 46 games in 1923, with a .413 batting average. Johnson was also the first member of the Monarchs to hit a home run at the new Kansas City Municipal Stadium
. Johnson was credited with more than 60 home runs against all opposition in 1924, and batted .296 in the 1924 Colored World Series
, which was won by the Monarchs. Johnson then moved to the Baltimore Black Sox
, where he posted averages of .345 and .337 in his 2 seasons with the club. In 1927, with the Harrisburg Giants
, Johnson hit .316, teaming with John Beckwith and Oscar Charleston
. Johnson split the 1928 season with the Cleveland Tigers and the Memphis Red Sox
, posting a .315 average overall.
Former pitcher Bill "Plunk" Drake said that Johnson was once sleeping on the bench when he was awoken and told to pinch-hit; he grabbed a fungo bat and hit a home run. Despite Johnson's weight, he was described as a "remarkably fast runner for his bulk." He was also described as temperamental and moody, one of the "nasty boys". Johnson finished his career in 1933 with a .337 lifetime batting average.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player in the Negro Leagues
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
. He played catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
and outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. Johnson was one of the Negro League's foremost power hitters in the 1920s, reportedly weighing 250 pounds, and known for hitting home runs. Longtime MLB
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...
umpire Jocko Conlan
Jocko Conlan
John Bertrand "Jocko" Conlan was an American Hall of Fame umpire who worked in the National League from 1941 to 1965. He previously had a brief career as an outfielder with the Chicago White Sox....
once said that Johnson "could hit a ball out of any park."
In his rookie season with the Kansas City Monarchs, Johnson batted .389, and posted a .345 average in the Cuban winter league. Johnson was credited with 18 home runs in 46 games in 1923, with a .413 batting average. Johnson was also the first member of the Monarchs to hit a home run at the new Kansas City Municipal Stadium
Municipal Stadium (Kansas City)
Kansas City Municipal Stadium was a baseball and football stadium that formerly stood in Kansas City, Missouri. It hosted the minor league Kansas City Blues of the American Association from 1923 to 1954 and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues during the same period...
. Johnson was credited with more than 60 home runs against all opposition in 1924, and batted .296 in the 1924 Colored World Series
1924 Colored World Series
The 1924 Colored World Series was a best-of-nine match-up between the Negro National League champion Kansas City Monarchs and the Eastern Colored League champion Hilldale. In a ten-game series, the Monarchs narrowly defeated Hilldale 5 games to 4, with one tie game. It was the first World Series...
, which was won by the Monarchs. Johnson then moved to the Baltimore Black Sox
Baltimore Black Sox
The Baltimore Black Sox were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.- Founding :The Black Sox started as an independent team in 1916 by George Rossiter and Charles Spedden...
, where he posted averages of .345 and .337 in his 2 seasons with the club. In 1927, with the Harrisburg Giants
Harrisburg Giants
The Harrisburg Giants were a U.S. professional baseball team in the Negro Leagues, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They joined the Eastern Colored League for the 1924 season with Hall of Fame center fielder Oscar Charleston as playing manager...
, Johnson hit .316, teaming with John Beckwith and Oscar Charleston
Oscar Charleston
Oscar McKinley Charleston was an American center fielder and manager in baseball's Negro leagues from to ....
. Johnson split the 1928 season with the Cleveland Tigers and the Memphis Red Sox
Memphis Red Sox
The Memphis Red Sox were a professional Negro League baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee from the 1920s until the end of segregated baseball....
, posting a .315 average overall.
Former pitcher Bill "Plunk" Drake said that Johnson was once sleeping on the bench when he was awoken and told to pinch-hit; he grabbed a fungo bat and hit a home run. Despite Johnson's weight, he was described as a "remarkably fast runner for his bulk." He was also described as temperamental and moody, one of the "nasty boys". Johnson finished his career in 1933 with a .337 lifetime batting average.