Lance Johnson facts for kids

Lance Johnson is a former professional baseball player from the United States. He was born on July 6, 1963. He played as a center fielder, which is an outfield position in baseball. Lance was known for his incredible speed and his ability to get lots of hits.

Lance Johnson's Baseball Journey

Lance Johnson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. After finishing high school, he went to the University of South Alabama. The St. Louis Cardinals baseball team chose him in the 1984 draft. This was his first step toward playing in the big leagues!

Starting in the Minor Leagues

Before playing in Major League Baseball (MLB), Lance played for smaller teams called minor league teams. In 1986, he played for the Arkansas Travelers. He was really good, leading his team in runs and hits. He also led the league with 49 stolen bases, showing off his amazing speed!

Lance made his big league debut on July 10, 1987, when he was 24 years old. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1987, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the American Association while playing for the Louisville Redbirds.

Playing for the Chicago White Sox

From 1988 to 1995, Lance Johnson played for the Chicago White Sox. During this time, he became known for his speed and hitting skills. He was a very important player for the team.

Leading the League in Triples

Lance was especially good at hitting triples. A triple is when a batter hits the ball and runs all the way to third base without stopping. From 1991 to 1994, Lance led the American League in triples for four years in a row! No other player in Major League history had done that before.

Amazing Achievements in Hitting

Lance Johnson holds a special record in baseball history. He is the only player ever to lead both the American League and the National League in hits in back-to-back seasons! He did this in 1995 for the White Sox and in 1996 for the New York Mets.

He also led both leagues in triples. This means he was one of only three players in history to lead both the American League and the National League in triples. The other two were Sam Crawford and Brett Butler.

Six Hits in One Game

On September 23, 1995, Lance had an incredible game. He got six hits in one game, including three triples! This was a huge achievement and showed how great he was at hitting the ball. He was the first White Sox player to get six hits in a game since 1962.

His Best Season with the Mets

Lance had his best season in 1996 while playing for the New York Mets. That year, he got 227 hits, which was a lot! He also hit 21 triples, stole 50 bases, and scored 117 runs. His batting average was .333, which means he got a hit about one-third of the times he batted. Because of his amazing performance, he was chosen to play in the All-Star Game that year.

Later Career and Retirement

After playing for the Mets, Lance joined the Chicago Cubs from 1997 to 1999. He then played for the New York Yankees in 2000, which was his final season. The Yankees won the World Series that year, and Lance received a World Series ring for being part of the team.

Lance Johnson played in 1447 games over 14 seasons. He had a career batting average of .291. He also had 327 stolen bases and 117 triples. He was known as "One Dog" because of his speed and his uniform number, which was "1".

Today, Lance lives in Alabama with his wife and three children.

See also

• 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