Cliff Johnson (baseball)

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Clifford "Heathcliff" Johnson, Jr. (born July 22, 1947) is an American former Major League Baseball player who played for the Houston Astros (1972–1977), New York Yankees (1977–1979), Cleveland Indians (1979–1980), Chicago Cubs (1980), Oakland Athletics (1981–82), Toronto Blue Jays (1983–84, 1985–1986) and Texas Rangers (1985). He batted and threw right-handed and split time between catcher, first baseman, and outfielder in the early part of his Major League career before becoming primarily a full-time designated hitter. As a catcher at San Antonio's Wheatley High School in 1965, Johnson was the 83rd pick in the 1966 baseball draft by the Houston Astros. After six seasons in the minor leagues, he made his major league debut on September 13, 1972, and played for the Astros until partway through the 1977 season, when he was traded to the Yankees. Johnson was a member of the 1977 and 1978 Yankees World Series championship teams, both over the Los Angeles Dodgers. On April 19, 1979, following a Yankee loss to the Baltimore Orioles, Reggie Jackson started kidding Johnson about his inability to hit Goose Gossage. While Johnson was showering, Gossage insisted to Jackson that he struck out Johnson all the time when he used to face him. (Johnson only batted three times against Gossage in the National League in 1977 as a Houston Astro while Gossage was with the Pirates, going 0 for 3 with two strikeouts) "He either homers or strikes out", Gossage said. When Jackson relayed this information to Johnson upon his return to the locker room, a fight started between him and Gossage. Gossage tore ligaments in his right thumb and missed three months of the season which cost the Yankees a chance to win their third consecutive World Series title.