Books and articles about Cliff Johnson

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A powerful righthanded slugger whose bat often sailed across the infield as he swung at pitches and missed, Johnson holds the ML record for pinch home runs with 20, including an Astro-record 5 in his first full season. Without the designated hitter rule, Johnson struggled in the NL, never settling at a defensive position and leading the ML in passed balls in 1976 in only 66 games at catcher. Traded to the Yankees on June 15, 1977, Heathcliff blasted three home runs against the Blue Jays 15 days later, including two in the 8th inning. In 1979 he broke the thumb of teammate and Yankee bullpen ace Rich Gossage in a locker room scuffle and was traded to Cleveland. After 1980 the smart, patient hitter was primarily a DH. (TF)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 25, 1975: Astro Cliff Johnson hits a home run in the top of the 11th for his 6th in six consecutive games, pushing his team to a 4–3 lead. Unfortunately, the game is called due to rain in the bottom half of the inning, and the score reverts to what it was in the 10th, thus erasing Johnson's home run. It deprives Johnson of becoming only the 2nd National League player to hit six home runs in six consecutive games. » June 15, 1977: The Astros send 1B Cliff Johnson to the Yankees for minor leaguers Dave Bergman, Mike Fischlin and Randy Niemann. » June 30, 1977: Cliff Johnson becomes the 2nd player in three days to hit a pair of homers in an inning. He hits three consecutive home runs, including two in the 8th inning, as the Yankees rout the Blue Jays 11–5. New York (42–33) is a half-game behind the Red Sox. » July 26, 1977: The Yankees open their final series with Baltimore by tying the O's at 4-4 on a Cliff Johnson two-run pinch homer in the 9th. Reggie Jackson then leads off the 10th with a solo home run to win. » April 19, 1979: Following a 6–3 loss to the Orioles, Yankees Goose Gossage and Cliff Johnson brawl in the clubhouse. Gossage sustains a sprained ligament in his left thumb, and will be sidelined until July 12th. After the fight, Reggie Jackson predicts that Cliff Johnson's days as a Yankee are numbered. He is proved correct when Johnson is traded to Cleveland on June 15th for Don Hood. » May 30, 1979: New York's Cliff Johnson crashes into home plate umpire Lou DiMuro in the 11th inning in a game against Milwaukee. DiMuro, unconscious for 32 minutes, is taken to the hospital. Johnson scores the 2nd of three runs for the Yanks in their 11-inning, 5–2 win. » June 15, 1979: The Yankees send Cliff Johnson to the Indians for P Don Hood. Johnson had been in the Yankee doghouse ever since his brawl with teammate Goose Gossage that put Goose on the DL for two months. » September 18, 1979: Yanks manager Billy Martin reportedly pays rookie P Bob Kammeyer $100 to hit former Yankee Cliff Johnson with a pitch in Cleveland's 16–3 rout of the Yankees. Johnson belts two homers as does Toby Harrah and the two combine for nine RBIs. The loss goes to Paul Mirabella but Kammeyer gives up all eight Tribe scores in the 4th inning without recording an out. » July 6, 1980: Cub relief pitchers hold the Pirates hitless for 12.2 innings but it goes for naught in a 5–4 20 inning loss. Cliff Johnson's 2-out homer in the 9th off Blyleven tied it for Chicago. Jim Bibby (11–1) takes the win. » August 24, 1983: Making his only career appearance behind the plate, Oriole infielder Lenn Sakata catches the 10th inning against the Blue Jays and then hits a 3-run homer as the O's win, 7–4. Toronto goes ahead 4–3 in the top of the 10th after Cliff Johnson homers and Barry Bonnell singles. Tippy Martinez relieves Tim Stoddard and picks off Bonnell, walks Dave Collins and picks him off. Tippy then allows a Willie Upshaw single, and picks him off. Helped by the runners' eagerness to test Sakata, Tippy sets a never-to-be-topped ML record. » August 5, 1984: Toronto's Cliff Johnson hits his 19th career pinch home run, breaking the major-league record of 18 he had shared with Jerry Lynch. Johnson's 8th-inning blast gives the Blue Jays a 4–3 win over the Orioles. » August 29, 1985: The Rangers trade veteran slugger Cliff Johnson to Toronto for three minor leaguers. Johnson had left the Blue Jays after last season to sign with Texas as a free agent.