Jay Johnstone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jay Johnstone
Outfielder
Born: (1945-11-20)November 20, 1945 Manchester, Connecticut, U.S.
Died: September 26, 2020(2020-09-26) (aged 74) Granada Hills, California, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Right
debut
July 30, 1966, for the California Angels
Last appearance
October 6, 1985, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.267
Home runs	102
Runs batted in	531
Teams
California Angels (1966–1970) Chicago White Sox (1971–1972) Oakland Athletics (1973) Philadelphia Phillies (1974–1978) New York Yankees (1978–1979) San Diego Padres (1979) Los Angeles Dodgers (1980–1982) Chicago Cubs (1982–1984) Los Angeles Dodgers (1985)
Career highlights and awards
2× World Series champion (1978, 1981)

Jay Johnstone (born November 20, 1945 – died September 26, 2020) was an American professional baseball player. He was an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for many teams. His career lasted from 1966 to 1985.

Johnstone was known for being a great player and a funny person. He won two World Series championships. One was with the New York Yankees in 1978. The other was with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981. He was famous for his jokes and pranks that kept his teammates laughing. After playing, he became a sports announcer and wrote books about his baseball adventures.

Growing Up and Starting Baseball

Jay Johnstone was born in Manchester, Connecticut, in 1945. His full name was John William Johnstone Jr. When he was a child, his family moved to Southern California.

He went to Edgewood High School. There, he was excellent at many sports. He played baseball, basketball, and football. In 1963, the Los Angeles Angels signed him as a young player. He made his first big league appearance in July 1966.

Playing in the Major Leagues

Johnstone (21) batting for the Cubs in 1983

Jay Johnstone played for many different teams during his career. He was a versatile outfielder, meaning he could play different positions in the outfield well.

Famous Moments in Games

• In 1970, while playing for the Angels, Johnstone made an amazing catch. He caught a long fly ball hit by Reggie Jackson. This helped his teammate, Clyde Wright, complete a no-hitter game. A no-hitter is when a pitcher doesn't let the other team get any hits.
• As a player for the Philadelphia Phillies, Johnstone played very well in the 1976 National League Championship Series. He got 7 hits in 9 tries.
• In the 1981 World Series, Johnstone was playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit a special pinch-hit home run in Game Four. A pinch-hitter is a player who bats in place of another. This home run helped the Dodgers come back and win the game. They then won the next two games and the World Series!

The Funniest Prankster in Baseball

Jay Johnstone was famous for his funny pranks. He loved to joke around with his teammates and coaches. These pranks helped keep the team's spirits high.

More Hilarious Pranks

• He once put a wet brownie inside his teammate Steve Garvey's mitt.
• He would sometimes light a small part of a teammate's cleats on fire, a prank called "hot-footing."
• He nailed his teammates' baseball spikes to the floor.
• He even replaced the famous photos in his manager Tommy Lasorda's office with pictures of himself and other players.
• In a 1981 game, Johnstone and teammate Jerry Reuss dressed up as groundskeepers. They went onto the field to drag the dirt in the middle of a game! Their manager, Lasorda, was angry. He sent Johnstone to bat as a punishment. But Johnstone ended up hitting a home run!
• During spring training in 1982, Johnstone tied Lasorda's motel room doorknob to a palm tree. This locked the manager inside his room.
• Once, before a game, Johnstone walked from the dugout through the stands. He was still in his uniform! He went to a concession stand and bought a hot dog.
• Another time, he got out of a taxicab stuck in traffic on a busy highway. He started running in his uniform towards the stadium.
• He even dressed up in Lasorda's uniform, with extra padding. He ran out to the pitcher's mound to talk to the pitcher, pretending to be the manager.

Life After Playing Baseball

After his baseball career, Jay Johnstone continued to entertain people.

Becoming a Sports Announcer

Johnstone hosted a TV show called The Lighter Side of Sports. It showed funny bloopers from sports. He also worked as a radio announcer. He talked about games for the New York Yankees (1989–1990) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1992–1993).

He also wrote three books with sports writer Rick Talley. The books were called Temporary Insanity, Over the Edge, and Some of My Best Friends Are Crazy. In these books, he shared many of his funny pranks and stories from his baseball career.

Appearing in Movies and TV

Johnstone appeared in the movie The Naked Gun. He played a baseball player for the Seattle Mariners. He also appeared on the TV show Solid Gold. He sang a song with his Dodger teammates Rick Monday, Jerry Reuss, and Steve Yeager. They sang their own version of the Queen song, We Are the Champions.

Jay Johnstone's Legacy

Jay Johnstone passed away on September 26, 2020. He was 74 years old. He died from problems related to COVID-19. He had also been dealing with dementia in his later years. He is remembered as a talented baseball player and a true character who brought a lot of joy and laughter to the game.

Baseball Stats at a Glance

This table shows Jay Johnstone's career statistics in Major League Baseball. It includes how many games he played, his batting average, home runs, and more.

In important playoff games, Johnstone had a very high batting average of .476. This means he got a hit almost half the times he batted in those games.

Film Appearances

• Body Slam (1986) - Booth Announcer
• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) - Seattle First Up

See also

In Spanish: Jay Johnstone para niños