[스크랩] [야구] Walter Johnson (1887 - 1946)

Walter Johnson

 

 

 

 

[Stats (1907 - 1927)]

 

 

 

 

Walter 'the Big Train' Johnson (1887 - 1946)

 

With a remarkable amount of integrity, humility and talent never before seen

in the Major Leagues, baseball's greatest pitcher truly stood above the rest.

Walter Johnson’s incredible speed and wholesome demeanor personified the

golden age of baseball, earning him the country’s gratitude and respect.

 

 

 

Born in Humboldt, Kansas on November 6, 1887, Johnson was the second

of six children to Frank and Minnie Johnson.

Growing up on his parent's farm, Johnson appreciated the lifestyle of a rural

community, as he thought the isolation was the best preparation for life and

a chance to learn more about himself.

When Frank decided to move the family to California in 1901 to try their luck

in the oil industry, Johnson decided to try his luck at baseball.

 

 

 

 

During his high school years in California, his aptitude for baseball surfaced.

Like his peers, he played numerous positions but his fast arm motion made

him a natural pitcher.

Upon graduating from high school in the spring of 1905, the 17-year-old set

out to play as a pitcher for the semi-professional Idaho State League.

The word about Johnson's skill quickly spread, attracting the attention of

"Pongo Joe" Cantillon, manager of the American League team in Washington.

 

 

 

Johnson, a product of small-town life, could not be persuaded to leave his

rural surroundings for the erratic nature a big city possessed.

Not the one to be turned away, Cantillon called on Washington catcher Cliff

Blankenship a year later to sign up Johnson.

With a hint of trepidation still in him, Johnson took the leap and arrived in

Washington, D.C. in mid-1907 to begin playing.

 

 

 

The Washington Senators were only in existence for seven years when

Johnson started.

His first pitching assignment was against the Detroit Tigers.

Even though the Senators suffered a loss, fellow baseball player Ty Cobb

immediately recognized the young pitcher’s unbelievable ability.

"The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup, and then

something went past me that made me flinch.

I hardly saw the pitch, but I heard it.

Every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned loose

in a ballpark." Cobb said.

 

[Walter Johnson with Ty Cobb]

 

Despite Johnson’s best efforts, he could not lift the ailing team,

experiencing consecutive losses five years straight.

However, in 1912, Washington sprang into second place as Johnson

miraculously had a career season with 32 wins, 303 strikeouts and

a 1.39 ERA.

 

 

 

Even though the Senators struggled the rest of the decade due to a dearth

of quality players being recruited, Johnson held his own.

He garnered All-Star recognition in 1909, 1915 and 1918.

He became the first pitcher in baseball to earn the prestigious Chalmers

Award in 1913 and became the American League's MVP that same year.

In addition, Johnson was successful at winning the Triple Crown as a pitcher

in 1913, 1918 and 1924.

 

[Smoky Joe & Walter]

 

 

During the 1916 season he also pitched a record 369.2 innings without giving

up a single home run[a record that still stands proudly today].

By the 1920s, Johnson knew he was on his career’s downside.

Personal tragedy struck twice when, in July 1921, his father died of a stroke.

Later that year, his oldest daughter died of influenza.

Stricken with grief and now the oldest pitcher in baseball, Johnson considered

retirement.

 

 

 

Johnson’s fans would not let him have his way.

His career, while distinguished, still had yet to win a coveted World Series

title.

Fans knew that deep down, his passion for the game would some how let

him keep playing.

He continued, and the 1924 season saw Johnson back in his true form,

leading in winning percentage, strikeouts and ERA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, after 17 seasons, the Senators made to the World Series.

Prior to the 1924 opening World Series game, fans went wild, cheering for

their favorite player.

They presented him with the most expensive automobile then made in the

United States : an $8,000 Lincoln touring car.

President and Mrs. Coolidge were on hand as well as high officers of the

Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

 

[Walter shakes hands with President Coolidge]

 

To Johnson, no one was more important than his mother, Minnie, attending

her first major league ballgame after all these years.

The Senators, playing against the New York Giants, won the series 4-3.

Washington went back to the World Series a year later, but their win could

not be duplicated.

 

[Walter & Christy Mathewson(N.Y. Giants, Pitcher)]

 

 

Johnson retired as a player in 1927 when he was unable to recover from

a broken leg.

He finished his 21-year career with 416 wins, 3,508 strike outs and a 2.17

ERA.

 

 

 

Two years later, he was appointed manager of the Senators.

He was replaced, and in 1933, selected to manage the Cleveland Indians.

His easygoing disposition and tendency to let things slide, however, did not

make him a suitable manager.

Johnson then entered politics winning a seat as Montgomery County

Commissioner in the state of Maryland.

In 1940, he ran for U.S. Congress but was narrowly defeated.

Johnson died at the age of 59 on December 10, 1946 from a brain tumor.

 

 

 

In honor of his contributions to the game of baseball, Johnson was elected

to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

It is only fitting that the greatest right-handed pitcher in history should be

among the elite first group selected for enshrinement.

 

 

[from ; http://www.cmgworldwide.com/baseball/johnson/index.php ]

 

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