Larry Johnson (baseball)

Larry Doby Johnson (born August 17, 1950 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a retired American professional baseball player. A catcher, he appeared in 12 games over five Major League seasons for the Cleveland Indians (1972; 1974), Montreal Expos (1975–1976), and Chicago White Sox (1978). He batted and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).

Johnson is named for Larry Doby, the first African-American to play in the American League, a seven-time All-Star outfielder, and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Doby was a star for Johnson's hometown Cleveland Indians the year of his birth. Johnson was selected by the Indians in the ninth round of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft. Although he had a 14-year career in minor league baseball and hit an even 100 career minor league home runs, his longest stint as a Major League player was six games for the 1976 Expos.

However, Johnson and his namesake, Larry Doby, were teammates (with Doby serving as a coach) on three separate MLB clubs during the 1970s: the 1974 Indians, 1976 Expos and 1978 White Sox. Johnson's last game as a Major Leaguer, on May 25, 1978, preceded by five weeks Doby's July 1 appointment as manager of the White Sox.

Johnson died suddenly on May 25, 2013 (Morrow, 2013). A day earlier he had spoken to his beloved son, Josh, to congratulate on hitting two homers in one game.