Lou Johnson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lou Johnson |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: September 22, 1934 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
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| Died: October 1, 2020 (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 17, 1960, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 6, 1969, for the California Angels | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .258 | ||
| Home runs | 48 | ||
| Runs batted in | 232 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Louis Brown Johnson (born September 22, 1934 – died October 1, 2020) was a famous American baseball player. People often called him Sweet Lou. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball.
Lou played baseball professionally for 17 years. Eight of those years were in the big leagues. He threw and batted with his right hand. Lou was about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed around 170 pounds.
He didn't become a regular player in the major leagues until he was almost 31 years old. He played a few games for the Chicago Cubs in 1960. Then he played one game for the Los Angeles Angels in 1961. In 1962, he played 61 games for the Milwaukee Braves.
Lou finally found his place with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1965. This happened when their regular outfielder, Tommy Davis, broke his ankle. Lou became the Dodgers' main left fielder that year. The Dodgers went on to win the 1965 World Series. He continued to play important roles for the Dodgers in 1966 and 1967. After that, he played as a reserve player for the Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and Angels.
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Early Life and Sports
Lou Johnson was born on September 22, 1934, in Lexington, Kentucky. His parents were Sidney Bell and Shirley Johnson. He had three brothers and one sister.
Lou went to Dunbar High School in Lexington. There, he was good at both basketball and baseball. He really wanted to play basketball at the University of Kentucky. However, at that time, the university and its sports conference did not allow black athletes. Many universities were still segregated.
Starting His Baseball Journey
The New York Yankees signed Lou Johnson as a young player in 1953. For about eight years, he played for different teams in the minor leagues.
He finally made his big league debut with the Chicago Cubs in 1960. In 1961, the Cubs traded Lou to the Los Angeles Angels. He then played 61 games for the Milwaukee Braves in 1962. After that, he went back to the minor leagues for two years. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Lou Johnson's big break came in 1965 with the Dodgers. Their star left fielder, Tommy Davis, got a broken ankle. Lou stepped in and played 130 games that season. He had a .260 batting average. He also scored 57 runs and had 58 runs batted in (RBIs).
In 1965, Lou scored the only run in Sandy Koufax's perfect game. He got on base by walking, then stole third base. He scored when the Chicago Cubs catcher made a throwing error. Lou also got the only hit off the Cubs' pitcher in that game. This made him the only player to reach base for either team in that special game.
The Dodgers made it to the 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins. Lou was a hero in this series. He got eight hits, including two home runs. His second home run was the winning hit in the final Game 7.
In 1966, Lou played mostly in right field. This was because Tommy Davis was back in left field. Lou had a great year, playing in 152 games. He hit 17 home runs and had 73 RBIs. His batting average was .272. The Dodgers made it to the World Series again that year.
This was also Sandy Koufax's last year playing baseball. He had to retire because of his arm injury. In the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles, the Dodgers struggled to score runs. Lou finished the series with four hits. He made the final out of the series by flying out to Paul Blair.
Later Years in Baseball
After 1966, Lou's major league career slowed down. He broke his leg in 1967 and played in fewer games. In 1968, he played for both the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians. In 1969, he played for the California Angels. His batting average was .203 that year.
By 1970, at age 35, Lou Johnson retired from professional baseball.
Over his eight years in the Major Leagues, Lou had a .258 overall batting average. He hit 48 home runs and had 232 RBIs in 677 games. He was also a good fielder, with a .981 fielding percentage in the outfield.
Personal Life
Lou Johnson was married to Sarah. They had three children together. Lou passed away on October 1, 2020.
