THE 1966 BRAVES: #30 Ken Johnson
#30 KEN JOHNSON
Right-handed Pitcher
What came before: “Well-traveled” describes perfectly the 6-foot-4 right-hander out of Palm Beach, Fla., and unfortunately, most of those travels were etched into a face that made him seem years older than he actually was. But Johnson was only 33 when the Braves arrived in Atlanta, coming off his first winning season as a major league starter (16-10 overall, but 13-8, 3.21 as a Brave).
http://i1260.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6cb4bd87.jpg
He'd broken in 1958 after originally signing with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1952, but struggled each season with K.C. The National League, it seemed, would be his refuge, as he went 6-2 with the Reds after starting out 0-4 with the Athletics and drawing a demotion to Triple-A. But the Reds had little chance to enjoy his proudction, as he was tabbed by the Houston Colt 45s in the expansion draft. In April of 1964, Johnson threw a nine-inning no-hitter and lose.
Always wheeling and dealing, Houston hooked up with Milwaukee by sending them Johnson and Jim Beauchamp for outfielder Lee Maye in May of 1965.
THAT 1966 SEASON: The Braves seemed to have a formidable rotation, and certainly Johnson did his share. He ended the year 14-8 (tying Tony Cloninger for most wins) with a sharp 3.30 ERA and a rock-solid 11 complete games. He was hardly a flame-thrower, as he allowed 213 hits in 215 innings and struck out a mere 105. He finished the year on a four-game winning streak, despite screwing up his knee in an aborted slide into third base. He had surgery on it in January of 1967.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT: He was still same pitcher in 1967 (13-9, 2.74), but the inevitable decline began in '68. What was the Year of the Pitcher just about everywhere saw Johnson struggle 5-8, 3.47 with more than a hit allowed per inning. He made only two starts in 1969 when he was sent to the Yankees in a cash deal. That would happen to Johnson again twice more, with the Cubs and Expos kicking the tires, before he was released at the end of April, 1970.
But the Braves got Johnson at his best. His career record was only 91-106, but his final line with the Braves, 130 games (104 starts) was wonderful: 45-34, 3.22.
Among all pitchers named Johnson, only Walter, Randy, Si and Syl won more games.
In 1980, Johnson and his wife left West Palm Beach for a small town in Louisiana where he got a job as an assistant baseball coach with Louisiana College, an NAIA school where both of Johnson's sons played. He was semi-retired and still assisting in 1990, but finally moved into a homebound and nursing home ministry that he maintained until his death on November 21, 2015, at age 82.
