I
first met Mr. Johnson at a autograph signing session at Dodgers Stadium
along with a few other greats (Wes Parker, Kenny Landreux and Bobby
Castillo.
Did you know...Sweet Lou
was the ONLY run scored in Sandy Koufax's Perfect game on Sept 9, 1965?
In
the 1965 World Series, Johnson hit two home runs, including the
game winner in the clinching Game Seven.
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Louis Brown (Lou) Johnson (born September 22, 1934 in Lexington, Kentucky),
nicknamed "Sweet Lou" and "Slick", is a former
Major League Baseball left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1960
through 1969, Johnson played for the Chicago Cubs (1960, 1968), Los
Angeles Angels (1961), Milwaukee Braves (1962), Los Angeles Dodgers
(1965-67), Cleveland Indians (1968) and California Angels (1969). He
batted and threw right handed.
A star in basketball as well as baseball in high school,
Johnson dreamt of playing at the University of Kentucky under legendary
coach Adolph
Rupp. However, at the time, members of the Southeastern Conference
(of which Kentucky is an affiliate) weren't recruiting black athletes;
some schools didn't even allow black students to enroll.
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Johnson
was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1953.
After kicking around in the minor leagues for a decade, Johnson finally
made it into the major leagues for good in 1965 with the Los Angeles
Dodgers, after a broken ankle in early May sidelined regular left
fielder Tommy Davis for the remainder of the season. In that season
he scored
the only run in Sandy Koufax's perfect game when he walked, went
to second base on a sacrifice bunt, stole third and scored on a throwing
error
by Chicago Cubs catcher Chris Krug.

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