Hank Johnson
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1925-1939)
Hank Johnson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1939 for 4 teams, including the New York Yankees, a span of 15 seasons. Across 249 career appearances, he went 63-56 with a 4.75 ERA and 568 strikeouts. He also batted .215 with 2 home runs.
- 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
- 5'11" / 175 lb
- Died
- 8/20/1982 in Bradenton, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1925-04-17
- Last Game
- 1939-09-19
Full name: Henry Ward 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | NYA | AL | 1 | 3 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 67.0 | 88 | 51 | 37 | 25 | 6.85 | 4.55 (-51%) | -1509.2 |
| 1926 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 18.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | NYA | AL | 14 | 9 | 31 | 22 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 199.0 | 188 | 95 | 104 | 110 | 4.30 | 4.13 (-4%) | -3227.2 |
| 1929 | NYA | AL | 3 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 42.2 | 37 | 24 | 39 | 24 | 5.06 | 4.60 (-10%) | -2010.2 |
| 1930 | NYA | AL | 14 | 11 | 44 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 175.1 | 177 | 91 | 104 | 115 | 4.67 | 4.80 (+3%) | -872.2 |
| 1931 | NYA | AL | 13 | 8 | 40 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 196.1 | 176 | 103 | 102 | 106 | 4.72 | 4.10 (-15%) | -1933.8 |
| 1932 | NYA | AL | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 31.1 | 34 | 17 | 15 | 27 | 4.88 | 4.13 (-18%) | -1267.0 |
| 1933 | BOS | AL | 8 | 6 | 25 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 155.1 | 156 | 70 | 74 | 65 | 4.06 | 3.86 (-5%) | -3080.5 |
| 1934 | BOS | AL | 6 | 8 | 31 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 124.1 | 162 | 74 | 53 | 66 | 5.36 | 4.29 (-25%) | -1621.4 |
| 1935 | BOS | AL | 2 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31.0 | 41 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 5.52 | 4.35 (-27%) | -428.5 |
| 1936 | PHA | AL | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7.71 | 4.59 (-68%) | -1466.5 |
| 1939 | CIN | NL | 0 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31.1 | 30 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 2.01 | 4.28 (+53%) | 153.2 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 63 | 56 | 249 | 116 | 45 | 4 | 11 | 1,066.1 | 1,107 | 563 | 567 | 568 | 4.75 | — | -17,263 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 259 | 376 | 48 | 81 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 20 | 49 | .215 | .255 | .301 | .556 | -858 |
Career AVG .215 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — 23.4% below league average.
Career OBP .255 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 25.9% below league average.
Career SLG .301 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — 24.7% below league average.
Career OPS .556 vs. league average .743 across their career seasons — 25.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | NYA | AL | 24 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .059 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1926 | NYA | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | NYA | AL | 31 | 79 | 10 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .241 | .280 (-14%) | .342 (-30%) | .395 (-23%) | .737 (-26%) | -347.4 |
| 1929 | NYA | AL | 13 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .071 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1930 | NYA | AL | 51 | 64 | 14 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 6 | .266 | .293 (-10%) | .354 (-13%) | .429 (+2%) | .784 (-5%) | -78.0 |
| 1931 | NYA | AL | 40 | 77 | 7 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 7 | .195 | .276 (-29%) | .338 (-25%) | .388 (-33%) | .726 (-29%) | -367.9 |
| 1932 | NYA | AL | 6 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1933 | BOS | AL | 26 | 52 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | .231 | .270 (-15%) | .329 (-10%) | .377 (-3%) | .707 (-6%) | -64.5 |
| 1934 | BOS | AL | 31 | 43 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .233 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | BOS | AL | 13 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1936 | PHA | AL | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | CIN | NL | 20 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .400 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 259 | 376 | 48 | 81 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 20 | 49 | .215 | — | — | — | — | -858 | ||
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 (508 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 116 | 179 | 24 | 42 | 2 | 19 | .235 |
| Away | 143 | 199 | 23 | 39 | 0 | 14 | .196 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 114 | 544.0 | 536 | 234 | 256 | 305 | 3.87 |
| Away | 135 | 521.1 | 572 | 330 | 316 | 263 | 5.70 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939-09-19 | CIN | PHI | L | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-18 | CIN | BSN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-15 | CIN | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-07 | CIN | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-06 | CIN | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-04 | CIN | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-04 | CIN | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-02 | CIN | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-08-28 | CIN | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-08-22 | CIN | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939-09-19 | CIN | PHI | — | 4.2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939-09-18 | CIN | BSN | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939-09-15 | CIN | NY1 | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939-09-07 | CIN | PIT | L | 1.1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-06 | CIN | PIT | L | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-09-04 | CIN | STL | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939-09-04 | CIN | STL | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939-09-02 | CIN | CHC | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1939-08-28 | CIN | NY1 | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939-08-22 | CIN | PHI | — | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | NYA | P | 24 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 1 |
| 1926 | NYA | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928 | NYA | P | 31 | 0 | 9 | 42 | 2 | 2 |
| 1929 | NYA | P | 12 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1930 | NYA | P | 44 | 0 | 5 | 40 | 2 | 3 |
| 1931 | NYA | P | 40 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932 | NYA | P | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933 | BOS | P | 25 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 2 |
| 1934 | BOS | P | 31 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 1935 | BOS | P | 13 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1936 | PHA | P | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939 | CIN | P | 20 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 249 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Hank Johnson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Hank Johnson: the record in brief
According to the bio, Hank Johnson debuted on April 17, 1925 and played a final game on September 19, 1939. Johnson played for the New York Yankees (1925 to 1932), the Boston Red Sox (1933 through 1935), the Philadelphia Athletics (1936), and the Cincinnati Reds (1939). Johnson is listed as a pitcher at 5'11" and 175 pounds. Johnson both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is May 21, 1906, in Bradenton, FL, USA. Johnson's death is recorded on August 20, 1982, in Bradenton, FL, USA. Hank Johnson was the playing name; the full given name is Henry Ward.
Johnson's career pitching line is 63 wins, 56 losses and a 4.75 ERA over 249 appearances. Also on Johnson's record: 568 strikeouts, 45 complete games, and 11 saves. The league ERA over Johnson's seasons was 4.32, so the 4.75 figure ran 10.0% worse than average. 1928 brought Johnson a season-high 14 wins. 1930 produced Johnson's most strikeouts, 115.
Frequently Asked Questions about Hank Johnson
- What years did Hank Johnson play?
- Hank Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1939.
- Was Hank Johnson a pitcher?
- Yes. Hank Johnson pitched in the major leagues, recording 63 wins and 568 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Hank Johnson hit?
- Hank Johnson hit 2 career home runs with 81 hits.
- What was Hank Johnson's career batting average?
- Hank Johnson batted .215 over his career, with 81 hits in 376 at bats.
- How many RBI did Hank Johnson have?
- Hank Johnson drove in 32 runs in his career.
- What was Hank Johnson's career ERA?
- Hank Johnson finished with a 4.75 career ERA, going 63-56 with 568 strikeouts.