Johnnie LeMaster

Johnnie Lee LeMaster (born June 19, 1954) is an American former Major League Baseball infielder. He played for four teams over a 12 year (1975–1985 and 1987) MLB career, including 10 seasons with the San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw right-handed.

Johnnie LeMaster
LeMaster in 1983
Shortstop
Born: (1954-06-19) June 19, 1954
Portsmouth, Ohio, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 2, 1975, for the San Francisco Giants
Last MLB appearance
July 28, 1987, for the Oakland Athletics
MLB statistics
Batting average.222
Home runs22
Runs batted in229
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Career

On September 2, 1975, LeMaster became the third player in major league history to hit an inside-the-park home run in his first at bat, during a 7–3 win over the Dodgers. LeMaster hit only 21 home runs during the rest of his career (3,191 at bats).

LeMaster at bat for Pittsburgh at Shea Stadium on September 21, 1985

LeMaster is remembered for a game in July 1979, when he took the field wearing the phrase on his back that Giants fans often welcomed him with; in place of his last name was the word "BOO".[1]

In 1983, LeMaster amassed over 100 hits for the only time in his career, batting .240 and finishing seventh in the National League with 39 stolen bases while finishing third in the National League with 19 times caught stealing.

During the 1985 season, he played for three teams: the San Francisco Giants, the Cleveland Indians, and the Pittsburgh Pirates; all three teams ended up in last place in their respective divisions.[2] After retirement, in 1988, he played one season with the Senior Professional Baseball Association, on the Fort Myers Sun Sox. [3]

LeMaster was a career .222 hitter with 22 home runs and 229 runs batted in in 1039 games.

Personal

LeMaster resides in Paintsville, Kentucky. He is a devout Christian. After his professional baseball career, Johnnie ran Johnnie LeMaster's Sports Center, an athletic store in Paintsville. The store has since been bought and replaced by Hibbett Sports. LeMaster is a distant cousin of Frank LeMaster, who played football for the University of Kentucky and the Philadelphia Eagles.

From 2016 through his 2019 resignation,[4] LeMaster coached baseball at Paul G. Blazer High School in Ashland, Kentucky. [5]

References
  1. Hayes, A.J., "Sports: Boo-yah! Johnnie LeMaster returns", http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/gsf/2008/05/sports_booyah_welcome_back_joh.html
  2. Bruce Nash, The Baseball Hall of Shame 3
  3. The Sporting News February 12, 1990. "Assessing the Boys of Winter" Pages 30–31.
  4. Snyder, Aaron (February 4, 2019). "LeMaster steps away from Ashland baseball". The Daily Independent. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  5. Juett, James (May 9, 2016). "LeMaster brings major league experience to Ashland". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
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