It was on this day in 1983 that
Blue Jays’ slugger Cliff Johnson tied the Major League record—held by Jerry
Lynch—with his 18th career pinch hit home run. The solo shot occurred in the eighth inning
off of Baltimore Orioles’ reliever Tippy Martinez at Exhibition Stadium in
Toronto. The Blue Jays won the game 5-0.
Johnson started his big league
career with the Houston Astros in 1972. After playing parts of six years with
Houston, he moved on to the New York Yankees where he helped win two World
Championships in 1977 and 1978. He played year and a half in Cleveland,
followed by a half season with the Cubs, and two seasons in Oakland before
finally landing in Toronto in 1983 where he was primarily used as a designated
hitter.
After signing with the Texas
Rangers prior to the 1985 season, he returned to Toronto via a trade later in
the year and retired after the 1986 season, having played 1369 games, 400 of
them with the Blue Jays.
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