James Harle Johnston (December 10, 1889 - February 14, 1967) was a Major League Baseball player from 1911 to 1926. He played mostly with the Brooklyn Robins of the National League.

Career

Johnston, who batted and threw right-handed, made his major-league debut on May 3, 1911 with the Chicago White Sox, which was his only appearance that season, and did not return to the majors until 1914, when he played 50 games with the Chicago Cubs. From 1916 through 1925 he was with the Brooklyn Robins. He finished up his career the following year, playing for two teams that year. His final game was played on September 11, 1926.

Johnston played all or part of 13 seasons, ten with the Brooklyn Robins. He played 448 games at third base, 354 in the outfield, 243 at second, 178 at shortstop, and 49 at first base.

He had a .294 lifetime batting average, hitting in the .270 to .280 range near the end of the dead-ball era and going over .300 once the live-ball era started. He stole 169 bases in his career, mostly from 1916 to 1923. He had little power, except in 1921 when he had 41 doubles and 14 triples.

He appeared in the 1916 and 1920 World Series. In the 1916 World Series he started two of the games, batting in the lead-off position. In the 1920 World Series, he appeared in four of the games, batting second mostly but also batting sixth in one of the games.

Almost all of his managers were Hall of Famers. Hugh Duffy managed him in 1911, Wilbert Robinson in his Brooklyn days, Dave Bancroft in Boston, and John McGraw in New York. The only non-Hall-of-Famer was Hank O'Day in 1914.

After his playing career ended, Jimmy Johnston was a coach with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1931.

Family

James married Nora Belle Jones on November 1, 1910. Nora was born July 31, 1888 and died May 14, 1974 in Chattanooga, Tennessee and was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery, Hamilton County, Tennessee.

They had the following children:

• James Hunter Johnston was born January 10, 1913 and died September 2, 2001.
• Dorothy Johnston was born 1915. She died 1928.
• Ruth Johnston
• Harris Gregg Johnston
• Caroline Virginia Johnston was born October 23, 1922 and died February 4, 2006.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]