Grant U. "Home Run" Johnson (September 23, 1872 – September 4, 1963) was an American

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

and

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relativel ...

. In a career that spanned over 30 years, he played for many of the greatest teams of the deadball era and was one of the game's best power hitters. Born in

Findlay, Ohio Findlay ( ) is a city in Hancock County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The second-largest city in Northwest Ohio, Findlay lies about 40 miles (64 km) south of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. Its population was 40,313 at the 2020 United Sta ...

, he died at age 90 in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

Career

Johnson began his career as a shortstop with the semipro Findlay Sluggers in 1893. The following year, he earned his nickname "Home Run" by hitting 60

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s. In the summer of 1894. Johnson and

Bud Fowler Bud Fowler (March 16, 1858 – February 26, 1913), born "John W. Jackson", was an American baseball player, manager, and club organizer. He is the earliest known African-American player in organized professional baseball. He was elected to the ...

formed the

Page Fence Giants The Page Fence Giants were a professional Black-American baseball team based in Adrian, Michigan, from 1895 to 1898, performing as one of the nation's top teams in the Negro leagues. Named after the Page Woven Wire Fence Company in Adrian, they ...

Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 5th congressional district. The c ...

. The team began play in the spring of 1895. A management shake-up after only about two months of games saw a disgruntled Fowler eventually leave the squad in mid-July 1895. However, Johnson was the shortstop and the team's captain for the entire four-year run of the Page Fence Giants. In 1896, in a rare pitching appearance, Johnson was the winning hurler in the Black Baseball World Championship series-clinching game in Caro, Michigan, on September 25, 1896, against the Cuban X Giants. After 1898, the Page Fence Giants were unable to continue playing, so Johnson and most of the other players moved to Chicago, where they played for the

Chicago Columbia Giants The Columbia Giants were a professional, black baseball team based in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century, prior to the Negro leagues. Founding In 1899, a group known as the Columbia Club, organized the Columbia Giants under the direction ...

in 1899. The next season, he played with the

Chicago Unions The Chicago Unions were a professional, black baseball team that played in the late 19th century, prior to the formation of the Negro leagues. Founding Organized as the Unions in 1887, the club was led by Abe Jones (1887–1889) and by W. ...

, where he teamed with

Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...

and

Mike Moore Michael Moore is an American filmmaker and author. Michael Moore may also refer to: Academia * Michael G. Moore (fl. 1970s–2020s), professor of education * Michael S. Moore (academic) (fl. 1960s–2020s), American law professor * Michael Mo ...

. Johnson returned to the Columbia Giants for 1901 and 1902. In 1903 and 1904, Johnson played for the

Cuban X-Giants The Cuban X-Giants were a professional Negro league baseball, Negro league baseball team that played from 1896 to 1906. Originally most of the players were former Cuban Giants, or ex-Giants. Like the Cuban Giants, the original players were not Cu ...

and captained the team to the colored championship in 1903, defeating the

Philadelphia Giants The Philadelphia Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1902 to 1911. From 1904 to 1909 they were one of the strongest teams in black baseball, winning five eastern championships in six years. The team was organized by Sol Whi ...

for the honor. His teammates included

Rube Foster Andrew "Rube" Foster (September 17, 1879 – December 9, 1930) was an American baseball player, manager, and executive in the Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. Foster is considered by sports historians to hav ...

and

Charlie Grant Charles Grant Jr. (August 31, 1874 – July 9, 1932) was an American second baseman in Negro league baseball. During his 20-year career, he played for some of the best teams in the Negro leagues. Grant nearly crossed the baseball color line ...

Johnson joined the

in 1905. Findlay, Ohio's celebrated contribution to African-American baseball history turned 33 years old late that season. His hitting and pitching electrified his new team. The unselfish qualities of Johnson's power-packed swing helped him to lead the team in categories such as hit-by pitches, sacrifice hits and, of course, home runs with 12. An honorable man of exemplary character, he hustled out ground balls and seldom disputed an umpire's questionable call. It was equally rare for him to strike out. In one reflective moment Johnson told a reporter, "when I did trike outI surprised myself." Slowed by an injury that occurred early in the season, he missed 13 days of play. Johnson was rushed back into the team's starting line-up, and as a consequence his home run totals slumped dramatically. He also was used as an occasional starting

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. A submarine pitcher of exceptional ability, he was essentially the Philadelphia Giants' fourth starter in 1905. His gutsy mound appearances kept everyone questioning why he did not pitch more often. In 1906, Johnson moved to the

Brooklyn Royal Giants The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. Formed in 1905 by John Wilson Connor (1875–1926), owner of the Brooklyn Royal Cafe, the team initiall ...

, where he was again captain, and led the team to championships in 1908 and 1909. Sportswriter Harry Daniels named Captain Grant Johnson to his 1909 "All-American Team" saying he "always has been a hard, consistent hitter, fielder, and base runner, and a great handler." In 1910, Johnson signed with Rube Foster's

Leland Giants The Leland Giants, originally the Chicago Union Giants, were a Negro league baseball team that competed independently during the first decade of the 20th century. The team was formed via a merge of the Chicago Unions and the Chicago Columbia Gia ...

and hit .397. Around this time he began to be known by the nickname of "Dad" Johnson as well as his old nickname, "Home Run Johnson." From 1911 to 1913, Johnson played for the

New York Lincoln Giants The New York Lincoln Giants were a Negro league baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930. Founding The Lincoln Giants can trace their origins back to the Nebraska Indians, of Lincoln, Nebraska, from the 1890s. According t ...

, hitting .374, .413, and .371. In 1913, the Lincoln Giants won the eastern title and beat the

Chicago American Giants The Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball. Owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" F ...

in the championship playoff. Later, he played with the Pittsburgh Colored Stars of Buffalo and managed the Buffalo Giants.

Later life and death

Johnson continued to play with lesser teams until finally retiring from baseball in 1932 at the age of 58. Afterwards, he lived in Buffalo, where he worked for the

New York Central Railroad Company The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

. Johnson was buried in Lakeside Cemetery (formerly Lakeside Memorial Park Cemetery and Buffalo Rural Cemetery) in

Hamburg, New York Hamburg ( ) is a Town (New York), town in Erie County, New York, Erie County, New York (state), New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 60,085. It is named after the city of Hamburg, Germany. The town is on t ...

, on September 14, 1963. On November 5, 2021, he was selected to the final ballot for the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...

's Early Days Committee for consideration for the Class of 2022. He received three votes or fewer of the necessary twelve votes."Fowler, Hodges, Kaat, Miñoso, Oliva, O'Neil Elected to Hall of Fame"
baseballhall.org. December 5, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.

References

Sources

*Dixon, Phil S. ''The 1905 Philadelphia Giants'' (Phil Dixon's American Baseball Chronicles, Volume III). – Se

* *(Riley.

, Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley (confirmed 2010-04-13) *Lutzke, Mitch. The Page Fence Giants, A History of Black Baseball's Pioneering Champions. McFarland Publishing Inc. 2018

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Home Run 1872 births 1963 deaths Negro league baseball managers Findlay Sluggers players Page Fence Giants players Chicago Unions players Cuban X-Giants players Philadelphia Giants players Brooklyn Royal Giants players Leland Giants players Chicago Giants players New York Lincoln Giants players Baseball players from Ohio Sportspeople from Findlay, Ohio