Jason Johnson

Infobox MLB player


width = 150px
name = Jason Johnson
team = Los Angeles Dodgers
number = 54
position = Starting pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1973|10|27
birthplace = city-state|Santa Barbara|California
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = August 27
debutyear = 1997
debutteam = Pittsburgh Pirates
statyear = August 29, 2008
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value = 56-99
stat2label = Earned run average
stat2value = 4.98
stat3label = Strikeouts
stat3value = 808
teams =
*Pittsburgh Pirates (by|1997)
*Tampa Bay Devil Rays (by|1998)
*Baltimore Orioles (by|1999-by|2003)
*Detroit Tigers (by|2004-by|2005)
*Cleveland Indians (by|2006)
*Boston Red Sox (by|2006)
*Cincinnati Reds (by|2006)
*Los Angeles Dodgers (by|2008-present)

Jason Michael Johnson (born October 27, 1973 in Santa Barbara, California) is a right-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is six foot six (1.98 m), 217 lb (98 kg), and bats right-handed.

Career

Johnson graduated from Conner High School in Hebron, Kentucky. He did not enter college, but was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an undrafted free agent in by|1992. After debuting with the Pirates in by|1997, he has gone on to play for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and the Seibu Lions.

Johnson's five year tenure in Baltimore was moderately successful and he became known as an inning-eating starting pitcher as he matured. After enduring two losing seasons with Detroit, Johnson signed with Cleveland prior to the by|2006 season. He fared no better there, going 3-8 with a 5.96 ERA. He was designated for assignment on June 22, 2006. Before he decided whether or not to accept the assignment, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox for cash. In Boston, his time as a member of the Red Sox was disastrous, going 0-4 with a 7.36 ERA. On August 18, 2006, Johnson was designated for assignment by the Red Sox and quickly signed to a minor league contract by the Cincinnati Reds.

He signed an incentive-laden, one-year, $3 million contract with the Seibu Lions for the by|2007 season. [http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6350552] On February 7, by|2008, Johnson signed a minor league contract with an invite to spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He failed to make the Dodgers opening day roster and was assigned to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s. On July 18 the Dodgers added him to the 25 man roster.

Through August 29th Johnson is 1-1 with a 4.61 ERA in 12 games (including 2 starts).

Notes

Johnson is diabetic and was the first Major League Baseball player to get permission to wear an insulin pump on the field. He wears the pump on his belt on the left side of his lower back, in order to minimize the chance of it being hit by a bat or thrown ball. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9805E1DB173BF935A35754C0A9629C8B63]

In by|2001, he received the Tony Conigliaro Award.

On June 8, by|2005, Johnson became the first Tigers pitcher to hit a home run in a regular season game since Les Cain in by|1971. The homer came against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jeff Weaver, at Dodger Stadium.

External links

*baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=j/johnsja02 |fangraphs=147 |cube=J/jason-johnson
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=5885 ESPN.com: Jason Johnson]