What years did Don Johnson play?

Don Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1958.

Was Don Johnson a pitcher?

Yes. Don Johnson pitched in the major leagues, recording 27 wins and 262 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Don Johnson hit?

Don Johnson hit 0 career home runs with 9 hits.

What teams did Don Johnson play for?

Don Johnson played for 5 teams: the New York Yankees (1947, 1950), the Baltimore Orioles (1950–1951, 1955), the Washington Senators (1951–1952), the Chicago White Sox (1954), and the San Francisco Giants (1958).

What were Don Johnson's career stats?

In 198 games, Don Johnson went 27-38 with a 4.78 ERA, 262 strikeouts, 631.0 innings pitched, and 12 saves.

What position did Don Johnson play?

Don Johnson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Don Johnson and how much did he weigh?

Don Johnson was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds.

What was Don Johnson's career ERA?

Don Johnson finished with a 4.78 career ERA, going 27-38 with 262 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Don Johnson have?

Don Johnson recorded 262 career strikeouts.

Is Don Johnson in the Hall of Fame?

No. Don Johnson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Don Johnson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1947-1958)

Don Johnson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1958 for 6 teams, including the New York Yankees, a span of 12 seasons. Across 198 career appearances, he went 27-38 with a 4.78 ERA and 262 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 October 24, 2026

W–L 27–38

ERA 4.78

WHIP 1.58

SO 262

Pitcher PIV -2704.4

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'3" / 200 lb
Born: 11/12/1926 in Portland, OR, USA
Died: 2/10/2015 in Portland, OR, USA
MLB Debut: 1947-04-20
Last Game: 1958-09-24

Full name: Donald Roy Johnson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Don Johnson — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
27	38	198	70	17	5	12	631.0	712	335	55	285	262	4.78	-2704.4

Career ERA 4.78 vs. league average 3.98 across their career seasons — 20.2% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Johnson (b. 1926) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1947	NYA	AL	4	3	15	8	2	0	0	54.1	57	22	23	16	3.64	3.97 (+8%)	83.7
1950	NYA	AL	1	0	8	0	0	0	0	18.0	35	20	12	9	10.00	4.36 (-129%)	-301.4
1950	SLA	AL	5	6	25	12	4	1	1	96.0	126	65	55	31	6.09	4.36 (-40%)	-2940.7
1951	SLA	AL	0	1	6	3	0	0	0	15.0	27	21	18	8	12.60	4.04 (-212%)	-1739.8
1951	WS1	AL	7	11	21	20	8	1	0	143.2	138	63	58	52	3.95	4.04 (+2%)	804.4
1952	WS1	AL	0	5	29	6	0	0	2	69.0	80	34	33	37	4.43	3.70 (-20%)	38.8
1954	CHA	AL	8	7	46	16	3	3	7	144.0	129	50	43	68	3.12	3.90 (+20%)	1054.1
1955	BAL	AL	2	4	31	5	0	0	1	68.0	89	44	35	27	5.82	4.00 (-46%)	199.6
1958	SFN	NL	0	1	17	0	0	0	1	23.0	31	16	8	14	6.26	3.86 (-62%)	96.9
Career · 9 seasons			27	38	198	70	17	5	12	631.0	712	335	285	262	4.78	—	-2,704

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

Don Johnson — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
198	155	1	9	1	0	0	7	0	5	47	.058	.087	.065	.151	0

Career AVG .058 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 77.7% below league average.

Career OBP .087 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 74.0% below league average.

Career SLG .065 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 83.3% below league average.

Career OPS .151 vs. league average .721 across their career seasons — 79.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Johnson (b. 1926) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1947	NYA	AL	15	13	0	0	0	0	1	8	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1950	NYA	AL	8	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1950	SLA	AL	25	29	0	2	0	1	1	6	.069	—	—	—	—	0.0
1951	SLA	AL	6	3	0	1	0	1	0	1	.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
1951	WS1	AL	21	47	1	4	1	4	1	11	.085	—	—	—	—	0.0
1952	WS1	AL	29	13	0	1	0	0	0	3	.077	—	—	—	—	0.0
1954	CHA	AL	46	35	0	1	0	1	2	12	.029	—	—	—	—	0.0
1955	BAL	AL	31	10	0	0	0	0	0	4	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1958	SFN	NL	17	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 9 seasons			198	155	1	9	1	7	5	47	.058	—	—	—	—	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 (396 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Don Johnson — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	95	57	0	2	0	1	.035
Away	103	98	1	7	0	6	.071

Pitching — Home / Away

Don Johnson — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	95	278.1	332	166	143	123	5.37
Away	103	352.2	380	170	142	140	4.34

Last 10 Games — Batting

Don Johnson — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	SO
1958-09-24	SFG	CHC	L	0	0
1958-09-13	SFG	PHI	W	1	0
1958-09-06	SFG	CHC	L	0	0
1958-09-02	SFG	LAD	L	0	0
1958-09-01	SFG	LAD	W	0	0
1958-08-29	SFG	LAD	L	0	0
1958-08-25	SFG	ATL	L	0	0
1958-08-21	SFG	CIN	L	0	0
1958-08-07	SFG	STL	L	0	0
1958-08-06	SFG	STL	L	1	1

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Don Johnson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1958-09-24	SFG	CHC	—	0.2	1	1	1	1	0	0
1958-09-13	SFG	PHI	SV	1.2	1	1	1	0	2	1
1958-09-06	SFG	CHC	—	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0
1958-09-02	SFG	LAD	—	3.0	2	1	0	0	2	0
1958-09-01	SFG	LAD	—	2.0	0	0	0	2	2	0
1958-08-29	SFG	LAD	—	2.0	1	0	0	0	2	0
1958-08-25	SFG	ATL	—	2.0	1	1	0	0	0	0
1958-08-21	SFG	CIN	—	0.2	2	0	0	0	0	0
1958-08-07	SFG	STL	—	1.0	0	1	0	1	0	0
1958-08-06	SFG	STL	L	2.0	5	4	4	1	2	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Johnson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	198	21	22	103	7	10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Johnson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1947	NYA	P	15	0	2	7	2	2
1950	NYA	P	8	0	0	2	0	0
1950	SLA	P	25	0	2	17	3	0
1951	SLA	P	6	0	0	3	0	1
1951	WS1	P	21	0	3	24	0	4
1952	WS1	P	29	0	6	9	0	0
1954	CHA	P	46	16	8	24	1	1
1955	BAL	P	31	5	0	14	1	2
1958	SFN	P	17	0	1	3	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Johnson (b. 1926) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	198

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Don Johnson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Don Johnson: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 20, 1947 and the final game on September 24, 1958, Don Johnson built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the New York Yankees (1947 to 1950), the St. Louis Browns (1950 through 1951), the Washington Senators (1951 through 1952), the Chicago White Sox (1954), the Baltimore Orioles (1955), and the San Francisco Giants (1958). Johnson, born on November 12, 1926, in Portland, OR, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6'3" and 200 pounds. The bio records the death on February 10, 2015, in Portland, OR, USA. The given name on file is Donald Roy Johnson.

The pitching table credits Johnson with a 27-38 record and a 4.78 ERA in 198 games. Johnson had 262 strikeouts, 17 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 12 saves. The league ERA over Johnson's seasons was 3.98, so the 4.78 figure ran 20.2% worse than average. Johnson won 8 games in 1954, the most of any season listed.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Johnson

What years did Don Johnson play?: Don Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1958.
Was Don Johnson a pitcher?: Yes. Don Johnson pitched in the major leagues, recording 27 wins and 262 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Don Johnson hit?: Don Johnson hit 0 career home runs with 9 hits.
What teams did Don Johnson play for?: Don Johnson played for 5 teams: the New York Yankees (1947, 1950), the Baltimore Orioles (1950–1951, 1955), the Washington Senators (1951–1952), the Chicago White Sox (1954), and the San Francisco Giants (1958).
What were Don Johnson's career stats?: In 198 games, Don Johnson went 27-38 with a 4.78 ERA, 262 strikeouts, 631.0 innings pitched, and 12 saves.
What position did Don Johnson play?: Don Johnson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Don Johnson and how much did he weigh?: Don Johnson was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds.
What was Don Johnson's career ERA?: Don Johnson finished with a 4.78 career ERA, going 27-38 with 262 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Don Johnson have?: Don Johnson recorded 262 career strikeouts.
Is Don Johnson in the Hall of Fame?: No. Don Johnson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.