Walter Johnson

Born in Humboldt in 1887, Walter Johnson’s family moved to Olinda, California when he was 14.  It was the dust bowl era in Kansas and Johnson’s family had lost their farm.  In California, Walter was soon pitching for a semi-pro team.  In 1906-07, he pitched for semi-pro Weiser (ID) and was 14-2 with a 0.55 earned run average his second season.  The Washington Senators heard about Johnson and came to Idaho to scout him.  They signed a reluctant 19-year-old Johnson.

Johnson was immediately brought to the major leagues.  He won five games with a 1.88 ERA for the Senators in 1907.  In 1908, Johnson won 14 games two years later won 25.  Johnson’s 25 wins in 1910 started ten-year streak in which he would win at least 20.

In 1912, “The Big Train” won 33.  In 1913 he was 36-7 with a 1.14 ERA.  He pitched 11 shutouts and struck out 243 in 345 innings.  All of those numbers led the American League.  He was awarded a Chalmers automobile as the league’s MVP.

The humble and soft-spoken Johnson made his off-season home in Coffeyville selling their farm in 1920 after the death of a daughter.  Johnson, his wife and five children moved to Bethesda, Maryland.

Johnson also experienced shoulder soreness in 1920 and won only eight games, snapping his 20-win streak.  After winning 17, 15 and 17 the next three seasons, Johnson fully regained his form in 1924.  He won the triple crown (wins, ERA, strikeouts) for the third time, going 23-7.  He was again the American League MVP.

1924 had something new for Johnson and the Senators, a World Series against the New York Giants.  Johnson lost two games but pitched four in relief in the decisive Game 7, allowing the Senators to win.

In 1925, Johnson won twenty games for the last time.  The Senators were again in the World Series, this time against Pittsburgh.  Johnson won two games, but the Pirates won Game 7.

Johnson pitched two more seasons for a 21-year career.  His career statistics are unmatched – 417 wins, 2.17 ERA, 531 complete games, 110 shutouts and 3,509 strikeouts.  He was part of the original baseball Hall of Fame class inducted in 1936, along with Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner.

After his retirement, Johnson managed one season at Newark, then returned to Washington to manage for four seasons.  He also managed Cleveland for three years.

Johnson died in 1946 at the age of 59.  He is buried in Rockville, Maryland.

For more, read Walter Johnson’s Society for American Baseball Research bio.