Ben Johnson
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1959-1960)
Ben Johnson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1960 for the Chicago Cubs, a span of 2 seasons. Across 21 career appearances, he went 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA and 15 strikeouts.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 190 lb
- Died
- 5/8/2020 in Greenwood, SC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1959-09-06
- Last Game
- 1960-06-12
Full name: Benjamin Franklin Johnson
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | CHN | NL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.7 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2.16 | 3.90 (+45%) | 242.9 |
| 1960 | CHN | NL | 2 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 29.3 | 39 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 4.91 | 3.82 (-29%) | -478.9 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 2 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 46.0 | 56 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 3.91 | — | -236 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
Career AVG .000 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OBP .000 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career SLG .000 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OPS .000 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | CHN | NL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | CHN | NL | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (42 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Away | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 10 | 23.2 | 36 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 4.18 |
| Away | 11 | 22.1 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 3.63 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-06-12 | CHC | PHI | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-06-08 | CHC | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-06-04 | CHC | LAD | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-06-03 | CHC | LAD | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-05-30 | CHC | SFG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-05-23 | CHC | CIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-05-21 | CHC | ATL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-05-17 | CHC | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-05-12 | CHC | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-05-03 | CHC | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-06-12 | CHC | PHI | — | 2.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960-06-08 | CHC | PIT | — | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-06-04 | CHC | LAD | — | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-06-03 | CHC | LAD | — | 0.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1960-05-30 | CHC | SFG | — | 3.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-05-23 | CHC | CIN | W | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1960-05-21 | CHC | ATL | — | 3.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1960-05-17 | CHC | PIT | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960-05-12 | CHC | CIN | — | 1.0 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-05-03 | CHC | PHI | — | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 21 |
Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Johnson
- What years did Ben Johnson play?
- Ben Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1960.
- Was Ben Johnson a pitcher?
- Yes. Ben Johnson pitched in the major leagues, recording 2 wins and 15 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Ben Johnson hit?
- Ben Johnson hit 0 career home runs.
- What was Ben Johnson's career batting average?
- Ben Johnson batted .000 over his career, with 0 hits in 6 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ben Johnson have?
- Ben Johnson drove in 1 runs in his career.
- What was Ben Johnson's career ERA?
- Ben Johnson finished with a 3.91 career ERA, going 2-1 with 15 strikeouts.