Ken Johnson

Kenneth Wandersee Johnson was born in Topeka in 1923 and graduated from Topeka High School in 1941.  He was spotted by Branch Rickey while pitching in an American Legion game.  Johnson signed with the Cardinals and also went to the University of Kansas.

After two seasons in the minors, Johnson joined the U.S. Army and was an officer, serving in the Pacific.

He returned from military service and pitched for Rochester in 1946.  In 1947, he split the minor leagues season between Columbus and Omaha, pitching well enough to earn a September callup with the Cardinals.  In his debut, Johnson no-hit the Cubs for seven innings.  He won the game 3-1 and also had two hits in four at-bats.

Johnson pitched sparingly for the Cardinals over the next three seasons and was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1950 season.  He went 4-1 for “The Whiz Kids” but did not pitch in their 1950 World Series loss to the New York Yankees.

Known as “Hook,” Johnson won five games for the Phillies in 1951, then finished his major league career with Detroit in 1952.  Johnson’s six-year major league record was 12-14.

After baseball, Johnson was an insurance executive in Wichita, where he died in 2004 at the age of 81.For more, read Ken Johnson’s Society for American Baseball Research bio.