Deron Johnson

Deron Roger Johnson (July 17, 1938 – April 23, 1992) was an American professional baseball infielder, outfielder, and designated hitter whose 16-year Major League career ran from 1960 into the 1970s. He stood 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighed 200 pounds, and batted and threw right-handed.

Johnson made his major league debut on September 20, 1960, called upon at age 22 to pinch hit in the ninth inning of a 1–1 tie between the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators, facing Senators left-hander Hal Woodeshick. Over the course of his playing career he appeared for the New York Yankees, the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics, the Cincinnati Reds, the Atlanta Braves, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Boston Red Sox, and the Chicago White Sox.

After retiring as a player, Johnson served as a major league hitting coach for 12 seasons, working with the California Angels (1979–1980 and 1989–1992), the New York Mets (1981), the Phillies (1982–1984), the Seattle Mariners (1985–1986), and the White Sox (1987). He was still an active member of the California coaching staff when he was diagnosed with lung cancer, which claimed his life on April 23, 1992, at the age of 53.