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Robert Wallace Johnson
Baltimore Orioles
Infield-Outfield
Born: March 4, 1936, Omaha, NE
Acquired: Sent from Pauls Valley (Sooner State) to the Detroit Tigers in an unknown transaction before 1955 season
Major League Teams: Kansas City Athletics 1960; Washington Senators 1961-1962; Baltimore Orioles 1963-1967; New York Mets 1967; Cincinnati Reds 1968; Atlanta Braves 1968; St. Louis Cardinals 1969; Oakland Athletics 1969-1970
Died: November 9, 2019, St. Paul, MN (age 83)
A super utility player and pinch-hitter throughout his 11 years in the big leagues, Bob Johnson wore the uniform of seven different teams, spending parts of five seasons with the Orioles. He was a member of the expansion Washington Senators, hitting the first home run in D.C. Stadium history (later Robert F. Kennedy Stadium) on opening day 1962. Johnson was dealt to Baltimore before the 1963 season, and he'd spend the next four-plus seasons as the Orioles, and one of the league's, top pinch-hitters. In 1964, he led the American League with 15 pinch hits, and he set a record (since broken) with six consecutive pinch hits. Johnson would win a World Series ring with the Orioles in 1966, although he didn't appear in that series. Johnson was on the move again in 1967, traded to the Mets, and he'd lead the National League with 13 pinch hits. He'd finish up his major league career in 1970, after playing for four teams over three seasons. In 874 games, Johnson batted .272 with 628 hits, 44 home runs and 230 RBIs.
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #425
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
After securing Doug's Jim Thome autograph, I returned to Uncle Dick's and their neon green shirts, pulled up a chair, and settled in. Over the course of 45 minutes or so, I found 79 cards needed for our set, including this Johnson card which was a little less than $2 after the dealer discount. I was surrounded by six or seven other seated collectors, all who looked similar to me, with a touch of gray, focused on their individual quests. I wiped out Uncle Dick's two 1965 Topps commons binders, paid for my haul and then retreated to a table with Doug to update our checklist.
The Card / Orioles Team Set
It's nice to actually see a baseball in Johnson's glove in this posed shot. You can't quite see any palm trees, but this appears to be another photo taken during spring training, joining the cards of Johnson's Orioles teammates Jackie Brandt (#33), Robin Roberts (#15), Brooks Robinson (#150), Bob Saverine (#427) and Russ Snyder (#204). The back of the card highlights Johnson's pinch-hitting skills and his versatility as a fielder.
1965 Season
Johnson played in 87 games for the Orioles, making 66 starts - 32 at first base, 21 at shortstop, ten at third base and three at second base. He batted .242 with five home runs and 27 RBIs, and was one the team's top bench players along with outfielders Snyder and Brandt.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #519
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1962-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2009 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-BJ
Topps created a 1960 Topps-inspired card for Johnson, showing him on the Athletics, as part of their 2009 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set. Johnson didn't have a card in the original 1960 Topps set.
41 - Johnson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/22/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
41 - Johnson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/22/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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