Tom Johnson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Tom Johnson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for 4 teams, including the New York Lincoln Giants. Across 111 career appearances, he went 53-32 with a 3.36 ERA and 310 strikeouts. He also batted .103 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 916.6.

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

W–L 53–32
ERA 3.36
WHIP 1.23
SO 310
Pitcher PIV 916.6
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 180 lb
Born
4/22/1889 in Bryan, TX, USA
Died
9/22/1926 in Chicago, IL, USA

Full name: Thomas Jefferson Johnson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Tom Johnson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
53 32 111 89 57 6 0 749.0 682 280 20 236 310 3.36 916.6

Career ERA 3.36 vs. league average 3.15 across their career seasons — 6.9% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tom Johnson (b. 1889) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1911 NLG EAS 1 2 4 3 2 0 0 29.2 23 5 10 23 1.52 3.37 (+55%) 754.8
1914 CAG WES 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 18.0 12 2 3 7 1.00 2.93 (+66%) 336.2
1915 ABC WES 3 5 8 8 6 0 0 63.1 77 31 18 28 4.41 2.90 (-52%) -391.2
1915 CAG WES 4 4 10 8 5 0 0 62.1 56 18 18 22 2.60 2.90 (+10%) 174.4
1916 CAG WES 14 4 24 18 12 0 0 156.0 130 59 56 73 3.40 2.78 (-22%) 57.9
1917 CAG WES 7 3 13 12 8 3 0 98.0 83 28 34 38 2.57 2.69 (+4%) -48.4
1919 CAG WES 4 4 13 9 5 0 0 79.1 67 34 28 26 3.86 3.09 (-25%) -701.0
1919 DS WES 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 7.0 6 0 2 4 0.00 — 0.0
1920 CAG NNL 8 0 11 10 6 2 0 80.2 70 18 17 34 2.01 3.45 (+42%) 1439.2
1920 DS NNL 2 2 4 4 3 0 0 36.1 35 18 10 14 4.46 3.45 (-29%) -432.9
1921 CAG NNL 7 8 21 14 8 1 0 118.1 123 67 40 41 5.10 4.02 (-27%) -272.5
Career · 11 seasons 53 32 111 89 57 6 0 749.0 682 280 236 310 3.36 — 917

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

Tom Johnson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
112 253 20 26 2 0 0 12 4 23 6 .103 .183 .111 .294 -244

Career AVG .103 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 60.6% below league average.

Career OBP .183 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 43.6% below league average.

Career SLG .111 vs. league average .348 across their career seasons — 68.2% below league average.

Career OPS .294 vs. league average .674 across their career seasons — 56.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tom Johnson (b. 1889) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1911 NLG EAS 4 12 1 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 .250 — — — — 0.0
1914 CAG WES 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1915 ABC WES 8 22 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1915 CAG WES 11 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1916 CAG WES 24 45 5 4 0 0 0 1 0 11 0 .089 — — — — -244.4
1917 CAG WES 13 29 3 4 1 0 0 3 1 5 0 .138 — — — — 0.0
1919 CAG WES 13 28 3 6 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 .214 — — — — 0.0
1919 DS WES 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1920 CAG NNL 11 29 3 4 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 .138 — — — — 0.0
1920 DS NNL 4 16 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .125 — — — — 0.0
1921 CAG NNL 21 45 2 3 0 0 0 1 2 1 6 .067 — — — — 0.0
Career · 11 seasons 112 253 20 26 2 0 0 12 4 23 6 .103 — — — — -244

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

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

Batting — Home / Away

Tom Johnson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home350000.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Tom Johnson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home315.2101950.57

Last 3 Games — Batting

Tom Johnson — Last 3 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1921-06-19 CAGCG1W 300000001
1921-05-09 CAGKCMW 000000000
1921-05-08 CAGKCML 200000000

Last 3 Games — Pitching

Tom Johnson — Last 3 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1921-06-19 CAGCG1 W 9.0511430
1921-05-09 CAGKCM — 0.2340010
1921-05-08 CAGKCM L 6.0230510

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tom Johnson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
P 111 38 8 201 10 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tom Johnson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1911 NLG P 4 0 1 4 1 1
1914 CAG P 2 0 0 1 0 0
1915 ABC P 8 0 0 13 4 1
1915 CAG OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1915 CAG P 10 0 1 19 0 0
1916 CAG P 24 0 3 48 2 2
1917 CAG P 13 0 1 26 1 2
1919 CAG P 13 9 0 25 0 1
1919 DS P 1 1 0 3 1 0
1920 CAG P 11 10 2 17 0 2
1920 DS P 4 4 0 11 0 0
1921 CAG P 21 14 0 34 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tom Johnson (b. 1889) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 111
Left Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

  1. 98
    Fred Newman
    33-39, 3.41 ERA
  2. 93
    Weldon Henley
    32-43, 2.94 ERA
  3. 91
    Johnny Wright
    44-23, 3.24 ERA
  4. 90
    George Johnson
    40-43, 2.95 ERA
  5. 90
    Norwood Gibson
    34-32, 2.93 ERA
  6. 89
    Max Manning
    58-30, 3.35 ERA

Tom Johnson: the record in brief

Tom Johnson's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1911 to 1921. The season rows list, in order, the New York Lincoln Giants (1911), the Chicago American Giants (1914 to 1921), the Indianapolis ABCs (1915), and the Detroit Stars (1919 to 1920). Johnson played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Born on April 22, 1889, in Bryan, TX, USA, Johnson was listed at 180 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. Johnson died on September 22, 1926, in Chicago, IL, USA. Tom Johnson was the playing name; the full given name is Thomas Jefferson.

Johnson went 53-32 with a 3.36 ERA in 111 games, 89 of them starts. Johnson had 310 strikeouts, 57 complete games, and 6 shutouts. Against a 3.15 league ERA for the same seasons, the 3.36 mark was 6.9% worse. Johnson won 14 games in 1916, the most of any season listed. 1917 was Johnson's sharpest full season, a 2.57 ERA against the league's 2.69.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Johnson

Was Tom Johnson a pitcher?
Yes. Tom Johnson pitched in the major leagues, recording 53 wins and 310 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Tom Johnson hit?
Tom Johnson hit 0 career home runs with 26 hits.
What teams did Tom Johnson play for?
Tom Johnson played for 4 teams: the New York Lincoln Giants (1911), the Chicago American Giants (1914–1917, 1919–1921), the Indianapolis ABCs (1915), and the Detroit Stars (1919–1920).
What were Tom Johnson's career stats?
In 111 games, Tom Johnson went 53-32 with a 3.36 ERA, 310 strikeouts, and 749.0 innings pitched. At the plate he had 26 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Tom Johnson play?
Tom Johnson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Tom Johnson and how much did he weigh?
Tom Johnson was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
What was Tom Johnson's career ERA?
Tom Johnson finished with a 3.36 career ERA, going 53-32 with 310 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Tom Johnson have?
Tom Johnson recorded 310 career strikeouts.
Is Tom Johnson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tom Johnson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.