View source for Darrell Johnson

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Short description|American baseball player, coach, manager, and scout (1928–2004)}}
{{otherpeople}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Darrell Johnson
|position=[[Catcher]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|image=1974 Boston Red Sox Yearbook Cards Darrell Johnson (cropped).jpg
|caption=Johnson with the [[Boston Red Sox]] in 1974
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date|1928|8|25}}
|birth_place=[[Horace, Nebraska]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|2004|5|3|1928|8|25}}
|death_place=[[Fairfield, California]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 20
|debutyear=1952
|debutteam=St. Louis Browns
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=June 6
|finalyear=1962
|finalteam=Baltimore Orioles
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.234
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=2
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=28
|stat6label = Managerial record
|stat6value = 472–590
|stat7label = Winning %
|stat7value = {{Winning percentage|472|590}}
|teams=
;As player
*[[St. Louis Browns]] ({{mlby|1952}})
*[[Chicago White Sox]] ({{mlby|1952}})
*[[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1957}}–{{mlby|1958}})
*[[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1960}})
*[[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1961}})
*[[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{mlby|1961}}–{{mlby|1962}})
*[[Baltimore Orioles]] ({{mlby|1962}})
;As manager
*[[Boston Red Sox]] ({{mlby|1974}}–{{mlby|1976}})
*[[Seattle Mariners]] ({{mlby|1977}}–{{mlby|1980}})
*[[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] ({{mlby|1982}})
;As coach
*[[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1960}}–{{mlby|1961}})
*[[Baltimore Orioles]] ({{mlby|1962}})
*[[Boston Red Sox]] ({{mlby|1968}}–{{mlby|1969}})
*[[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] ({{mlby|1981}}–{{mlby|1982}})
*[[New York Mets]] ({{mlby|1983}}, {{mlby|1993}})
|highlights=
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1958}})
}}

'''Darrell Dean Johnson''' (August 25, 1928 – May 3, 2004) was an American professional [[catcher]], [[coach (baseball)|coach]], [[manager (baseball)|manager]] and [[scout (sports)|scout]] in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB). As a manager, he led the [[1975 Boston Red Sox season|1975]] [[Boston Red Sox]] to the [[American League]] [[pennant (sports)|pennant]], and was named "Manager of the Year" by both ''[[The Sporting News]]''<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ke0cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JGcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1549%2C3813293 Sarasota Herald-Tribune, October 8, 1975]</ref> and the [[Associated Press]].<ref>The Associated Press, October 28, 1975</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/0b066e42|last=Nowlin|first=Bill|title=Darrell Johnson|work=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]|access-date=2019-02-03}}</ref>

==Playing career==
Johnson was born in [[Greeley County, Nebraska|Horace, Nebraska]], and graduated from [[Harvard, Nebraska]], High School in 1944. He was signed by the [[St. Louis Browns]] as an amateur free agent in 1949 and made his Major League debut with the Browns on April 20, 1952. A reserve catcher during his six-year Major League career ({{mlby|1952}}; {{mlby|1957}}–{{mlby|1958}}; {{mlby|1960}}–{{mlby|1962}}), Johnson also played for the [[Chicago White Sox]], [[New York Yankees]], [[St. Louis Cardinals]], [[Philadelphia Phillies]], [[Cincinnati Reds]] and [[Baltimore Orioles]], who released him on June 12, 1962, ending his playing career. He was listed as {{convert|6|ft|1|in}} tall and {{convert|180|lb}} and threw and batted [[right-handed]]. In 134 MLB [[games played]], he [[batting average (baseball)|batted]] .234 lifetime, with his 75 [[hit (baseball)|hits]] including six [[double (baseball)|doubles]], one [[triple (baseball)|triple]] and two [[home runs]].

Johnson's playing career was interrupted by an eleven-month stint as an MLB [[coach (baseball)|coach]] with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960–1961. After playing in eight games, with three [[plate appearances]], for the {{mlby|1960}} Cardinals, he was released as a player on August 5 and added to the coaching staff of manager [[Solly Hemus]], then reappointed for {{mlby|1961}}.  When the Redbirds fired Hemus on July 6, 1961, Johnson was released along with him. Three days later, he signed a player's contract with the last-place Philadelphia Phillies and caught 21 games for them in five weeks before being sold to the pennant-contending Cincinnati Reds on August 14.

The Reds were then {{frac|2|1|2}} games behind the first-place [[Los Angeles Dodgers]], but over the final six weeks of the season they overtook the Dodgers to win the [[1961 Cincinnati Reds season|National League championship]] by four full contests. Johnson appeared in 20 games (including 17 as the club's starting catcher, with the Reds going 8–9).<ref>[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1961/Mjohnd1060071961.htm 1961 regular season fielding log from Retrosheet]</ref> In limited duty, he batted .315 with 17 hits, including his second and last big-league home run, hit off the Dodgers' [[Johnny Podres]] on August 16.<ref>[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1961/B08162LAN1961.htm 1961-8-16 box score from Retrosheet]</ref> He appeared in the [[1961 World Series]] against his former team, the Yankees, and had two [[single (baseball)|singles]] in four [[at bats]] (both of them off [[Baseball Hall of Fame]]r [[Whitey Ford]]) as the Reds lost to the slugging Yanks of [[Roger Maris]] and [[Mickey Mantle]], four games to one. He started Games 1 and 4, both of them Cincinnati defeats.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1961_WS.shtml Baseball Reference]</ref>

The Reds released Johnson only a few days into the 1962 season, and he signed with the Orioles as a backup catcher before retiring as a player in June and serving out the year as Baltimore's [[bullpen|bullpen coach]].

==Manager of Red Sox, Mariners and Rangers==

===Overview===
He then became a [[minor league baseball|minor league]] manager in the Orioles system and won championships with the [[Rochester Red Wings]] of the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[International League]] in 1964 and [[Elmira Pioneers]] of the [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] [[Eastern League (1938–2020)|Eastern League]] in 1966. His demotion was the result of an exchange requested by Red Wings president [[Morrie Silver]], who was disappointed with a losing 1965 campaign and wanted the Pioneers' [[Earl Weaver]], coming off a winning season, to manage his team instead.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=YijlSyl2vW4C&dq=darrell+johnson+rochester+red+wings&pg=PA47 Gorman, Lou. ''High and Inside: My Life in the Front Offices of Baseball''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2008.] Retrieved August 17, 2019</ref> 

After a year spent [[scout (sports)|scouting]] for the 1967 Yankees, Johnson was named pitching coach of the [[Boston Red Sox]] on October 31, {{mlby|1967}}, succeeding [[Sal Maglie]] who had been released after the [[1967 World Series|World Series]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1697&dat=19671031&id=OQ0fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CJcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3263,6803359 "Darrell Johnson Named Bosox Pitching Coach," ''The Associated Press (AP)'', Tuesday, October 31, 1967.] Retrieved August 17, 2019</ref> When manager [[Dick Williams]] was fired in September {{mlby|1969}}, Johnson was retained by the Red Sox as a scout in 1970,<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1906&dat=19700115&id=gtcfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FNkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4008,731222 Darrell Johnson to stay with Boston]</ref> then managed Boston's [[Louisville Colonels (minor league baseball team)|Louisville Colonels]] International League affiliate in 1971–72. In 1973, he became the first manager of the Triple-A [[Pawtucket Red Sox]], finishing 78–68 and winning his second [[Governors' Cup]], emblematic of the International League's playoff championship, in his only PawSox season. That championship earned him a promotion to the parent club as Red Sox manager.

[[File:Darrell Johnson Gerald Ford and Sparky Anderson in 1976 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Johnson (left) with President [[Gerald Ford]] and [[Sparky Anderson]] in 1975]]
As a big-league manager, Johnson led three different teams over eight seasons. His career began when he succeeded [[Eddie Kasko]] following the conclusion of the [[1973 Boston Red Sox season|Red Sox's 1973 campaign]] on September 30.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19731001&id=nnAsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4MsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2192,53862 "Darrell Johnson New Sox Leader," ''The Associated Press (AP)'', Monday, October 1, 1973.] Retrieved August 17, 2019</ref> His biggest success came during his Red Sox posting when he compiled a [[win–loss record]] of 220–188 for a .539&nbsp;[[winning percentage]]. He guided Boston to a 95–65 (.594) mark in {{mlby|1975}} and a first-place finish in the [[American League East Division|AL East]]. The Sox then swept the three-time defending world champion [[Oakland Athletics]] in the [[1975 American League Championship Series|playoffs]], 3–0, to win the American League pennant. But they lost to the Cincinnati "[[Big Red Machine]]" in the thrilling [[1975 World Series]], four games to three. In an interview conducted by [[Tim Russert]] on [[CNBC]] in 2003, [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] [[catcher]] [[Carlton Fisk]] named Johnson as the biggest influence in his professional life.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BdR5DpZDXU]. Retrieved March 14, 2021</ref> Johnson also had his detractors, such as Bill Lee, who stated that the team won "despite our manager", who did not communicate well with his players and even had his pitching coach stationed in the Red Sox bullpen rather than the dugout during the 1975 Series.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2582388-forgotten-game-7-of-reds-red-sox-75-world-series-still-haunts-players-coaches | title=Forgotten Game 7 of Reds-Red Sox '75 World Series Still Haunts Players, Coaches | website=[[Bleacher Report]] }}</ref> 

In {{mlby|1976}}, Boston started poorly, losing 15 of its first 21 games, then rallied and finally climbed above the .500 mark on July 6 (38–37). As the incumbent pennant-winning manager, Johnson managed the [[1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1976 American League All-Star team]] (with his team losing 7–1 at [[Veterans Stadium]] on July 13). But by then the Red Sox were mired in another slump, and only five days later on July 19, Johnson was fired in favor of third-base coach [[Don Zimmer]] after the team had lost eight of its last 11 games. At the time of his dismissal, Boston was out of contention with a 41–45 record, in fifth place and 13 games behind the Yankees.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19760720&id=AtgeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MmcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6892,1939153 "Red Sox Fire Darrell Johnson, Promote Don Zimmer," ''The Associated Press (AP)'', Tuesday, July 20, 1976.] Retrieved August 17, 2019</ref> Johnson then briefly returned to scouting for the Red Sox.

Johnson was hired to become the first-ever manager of the [[expansion team|expansion]] [[Seattle Mariners]] on September 3, 1976.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1243&dat=19760903&id=ovxXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1vYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5073,2917399 "Darrell Johnson named as coach of Mariners," ''The Associated Press (AP)'', Friday, September 3, 1976.] Retrieved August 17, 2019</ref> [[Lou Gorman]], Seattle's director of baseball operations, stated that Johnson would also assist in scouting players for the upcoming expansion draft.  Johnson said that he was looking for players with "pride, aggressiveness, and the right mental attitude."<ref name="Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer, Dan Epstein">[https://books.google.com/books?id=MehzAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Darrell+Johnson%2C+who%27d+been+let+go+by+the+Red+Sox+in+July%22&pg=PA289 ''Stars and Strikes: Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer of '76''], Dan Epstein, New York: St. Martin's Press, 2014.</ref> Johnson managed the Mariners for approximately three and a half seasons until he was fired on August 3, {{mlby|1980}}, and posted an overall win–loss mark of 226–362 (.384). 

Johnson then worked as third-base coach for the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]], under Zimmer, starting in {{mlby|1981}} before taking over as interim manager on July 30, 1982.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19820729&id=HRwxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0eMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2163,5288271 Don Zimmer replaced by Darrell Johnson]</ref> Six years earlier, the roles had been reversed when third-base coach Zimmer succeeded Johnson as manager in Boston on July 18, 1976. In his final managerial role, Johnson's Rangers went 26–40 (.394) in the {{mlby|1982}} season's final two months. He finished with a 472–590 record for a .444 career percentage as a Major League manager.<ref name="managerial record">{{cite web|title=Darrell Johnson|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/johnsda01.shtml|website=Baseball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=October 5, 2015}}</ref>

He then moved to the [[New York Mets]] as minor league coordinator of instruction and a longtime scout. He also served as the Mets' bench coach on the staff of [[Dallas Green (baseball)|Dallas Green]] from May 20, 1993,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/20/sports/baseball-it-s-lights-for-torborg-after-one-last-blast-green-hired-hoist-mets.html Sexton, Joe, "It's Lights Out for Torborg ..."] ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 20, 1993</ref> through the end of [[1993 in baseball|that season]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/04/sports/baseball-season-is-history-so-is-stottlemyre.html Nobles, Charlie, "Season is History, So is Stottlemyre."] ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 4, 1993</ref>

Johnson died from [[leukemia]] at the age of 75 in 2004 in [[Fairfield, California]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=20040505&id=_kogAAAAIBAJ&sjid=e6YEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2029,3159985 Former Red Sox Manager Darrell Johnson dies]</ref>

===Managerial record===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
!Games!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
![[1974 Boston Red Sox season|BOS]]|| {{mlby|1974}}
||162||84||78||{{Winning percentage|84|78}}|| 3rd in AL East || – || – || – || –
|-style="background:#fdd"
![[1975 Boston Red Sox season|BOS]]|| {{mlby|1975}}
||160||95||65||{{Winning percentage|95|65}}|| '''1st in AL East''' || 6 || 4 || .600 || Lost [[1975 World Series|World Series]] ([[1975 Cincinnati Reds season|CIN]])
|-
![[1976 Boston Red Sox season|BOS]]|| {{mlby|1976}}
||86||41||45||{{Winning percentage|41|45}}|| fired || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|BOS total || 408 || 220 || 188 || {{Winning percentage|220|188}} || || 6 || 4 || .600 ||
|-
![[1977 Seattle Mariners season|SEA]]|| {{mlby|1977}}
||162||64||98||{{Winning percentage|64|98}}|| 6th in AL West || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1978 Seattle Mariners season|SEA]]|| {{mlby|1978}}
||160||56||104||{{Winning percentage|56|104}}|| 7th in AL West || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1979 Seattle Mariners season|SEA]]|| {{mlby|1979}}
||162||67||95||{{Winning percentage|67|95}}|| 6th in AL West || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1980 Seattle Mariners season|SEA]]|| {{mlby|1980}}
||104||39||65||{{Winning percentage|39|65}}|| fired || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|SEA total || 588 || 226 || 362 || {{Winning percentage|226|362}} || || 0 || 0 || – ||
|-
![[1982 Texas Rangers season|TEX]]|| {{mlby|1982}}
||56||23||33||{{Winning percentage|23|33}}|| 6th in AL West || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|TEX total || 66 || 26 || 40 || {{Winning percentage|26|40}} || || 0 || 0 || – ||
|-
! colspan="2"|Total<ref name="managerial record"/> || 1062 || 472 || 590 || {{Winning percentage|472|590}} || || 6 || 4 || .600 || 
|}

==See also==
* [[List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats | br=j/johnsda01 }}
*[https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/johnsda01.shtml Baseball-Reference.com] – career managing record
*{{Find a Grave|8726763}}
*[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07E0DE1F3DF935A35756C0A9629C8B63&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/D/Deaths%20(Obituaries) New York Times Obituary]

{{s-start-collapsible|header={{s-sports}}}}
{{succession box|title=[[Rochester Red Wings]] [[manager (baseball)|manager]]|before=[[Clyde King]]|years=1963–1965| after=[[Earl Weaver]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[Elmira Pioneers]] [[manager (baseball)|manager]]|before=[[Earl Weaver]]|years=1966| after=[[Billy DeMars]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[Boston Red Sox]] [[coach (baseball)|pitching coach]] | before=[[Sal Maglie]] | years=1968–1969  | after= [[Charlie Wagner]]}}  
{{succession box|title=[[Louisville Colonels (minor league baseball)|Louisville Colonels]] [[manager (baseball)|manager]]|before=[[Billy Gardner]]|years=1971–1972| after=Franchise relocated}}
{{succession box|title=[[Pawtucket Red Sox|Pawtucket Red Sox manager]]|before=AAA franchise established|years=1973| after=[[Joe Morgan (manager)|Joe Morgan]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] [[coach (baseball)|third-base coach]] | before=[[Frank Lucchesi]] | years=1981–1982  | after= [[Wayne Terwilliger]]}}  
{{s-end}}

{{1958 New York Yankees}}
{{Boston Red Sox managers}}
{{Seattle Mariners managers}}
{{Texas Rangers managers}}
{{Sporting News Manager of the Year Award}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Darrell}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
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