Jason Johnson

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For the Australian rules footballer, see Jason Johnson (Australian rules footballer).

Jason Michael Johnson (born October 27, 1973 in Santa Barbara, California) is a right-handed starting pitcher with the Seibu Lions. He is six foot six (1.98 m), 217 lb (98 kg), and bats right-handed.

[edit] 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 1992. After debuting with the Pirates in 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 currently, 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 2006 season. He fared no better there, and 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 a player to be named later and/or cash. On August 18, 2006, Johnson was designated for assignment by the Red Sox and quickly signed to minor league contract by the Reds.

He signed an incentive-laden, one-year, $3 million contract with the Seibu Lions for the 2007 season. [1]

[edit] 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.

In 2001, he received the Tony Conigliaro Award.

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

[edit] External links

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