Johnson first appeared in a major league game on September 20, 1960. The 22-year-old was called upon to pinch hit in the ninth inning of a 1–1 tie between New York and Washington, facing
Senators southpaw
Hal Woodeshick.
Mickey Mantle flied out to right and
Bill Skowron doubled. Johnson advanced Skowron to third with a flyout to center. The Yankees won 2–1 in the 11th inning. He got his first two career hits on October 2, in the Yankees' last game of the regular season, an 8–7 win over the Red Sox at
Yankee Stadium. Johnson batted twice in the game—the first resulted in a fifth-inning
double off Red Sox pitcher
Jerry Casale, and in the seventh inning he singled off
Arnold Earley. Johnson's contract was purchased from Kansas City by the Cincinnati Reds on April 5, 1963. Playing for Triple-A San Diego, he topped the
Pacific Coast League with 33
home runs, tied for fifth with 91
runs batted in (RBI), and was picked as first baseman on the PCL All-Star team. 1964 was his first full season in the major leagues with the Reds where he posted a .273 average with 21 home runs and 79 RBI. The 1965 season with the Cincinnati Reds was one of the best of Johnson's career, as he hit .287, hit 32 home runs, and drove in an MLB-leading 130 runs. Rose was quoted in 1983, "I had never seen anyone hit the ball harder than Deron Johnson." He finished fourth in NL
MVP voting. While playing for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1971, Johnson clubbed a career-high 34 homers and drove in over 90 runs. Further proof of Johnson's long-ball skill was evident on July 10 and 11, as he belted four consecutive home runs against the
Montreal Expos, three of them coming on the 11th. Johnson hit .300 in the
1973 World Series while playing with the Oakland A's. He opened 1974 with the A's, but on June 24, he was released on waivers to the Milwaukee Brewers. On September 7, Johnson was sold to the Boston Red Sox, who were in the middle of a pennant race they ultimately lost. The following April he signed with the White Sox. In 148 games for the White Sox, Johnson hit 18 home runs, and drove in 72 RBI. On September 21, after
Jim Rice had been injured earlier in the day, the Red Sox once again needed supplemental power and reacquired Johnson. Johnson's last home run of his career came on September 27, 1975, off of Indians pitcher
Rick Waits at
Fenway Park. In 1,765 games over 16 seasons, Johnson posted a .244
batting average with 706
runs, 247 doubles, 33
triples, 245 home runs, 923 RBI, 585
walks, .311
on-base percentage and .420
slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .987
fielding percentage playing primarily at first base but also played at third base and the outfield. In the
1973 postseason, he batted .200 (4-for-20) with no runs, home runs or RBI. == Personal life & legacy ==