Negro leagues In 1940, Johnson initially played for the minor league
Atlanta Black Crackers, then quickly moved up to the
Toledo-Indianapolis Crawfords before ending up on the
Kansas City Monarchs, all at the age of 17. After a solid season, he was selected to the
East-West All-Star Game, being the youngest player ever to achieve that distinction. helping his team win another pennant, even though he did not pitch in the Series. During his rookie season at Chicago Johnson pitched in 14 games, starting ten of them, going 4–4 with a 3.56 ERA and 44 strikeouts. His most productive season came in 1957, when he finished 14–11 with a 3.20 ERA for a lousy team that finished in fifth place in the then eight team American League. Afterwards, Johnson pitched for the
Tigres de Marianao in the 1954-55 Cuban League season, and was a bright spot for the last-place Marianao, going 12-11 with a 3.29 ERA while leading the league in strikeouts (123), shutouts (5) and innings pitched (). After his playing days, Johnson worked for the
Ford Motor Company in
Kansas City, Missouri, retiring in 1985. He died in 2004 at the age of 81. ==See also==