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Saturday, July 17, 1999


P R O F E S S I O N A L _ B A S E B A L L



Former ’Bow hurler
Johnson hopes to
salvage season at AA

Plus: Minor League Report

By Al Chase
Star-Bulletin

Tapa

Mark Johnson is looking forward to the second half of the Eastern League season.

Almost anything will be better for the former Hawaii Rainbow right-hander, who hopes he used up all his bad luck in the first half.

A foul ball that fractured the right side of his face in four places left him inactive much of the first half.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder began the season with the Norwich (Conn.) Navigators, the New York Yankees' Double A team.

But, two weeks into the season, after two rough outings, the Yankees sent Johnson to extended spring training in Florida to work with pitching coach Billy Connors.

"I was just trying to smooth things out. I struggled with my command (of pitches)," Johnson said. "It could have been mental, so they tried to take the pressure off.

"I worked with Billy Connors one-on-one each day, working on the simple things. It was just a case of going out there and doing it."


Star-Bulletin file photo
Mark Johnson fires to first while
pitching for the Rainbows in 1996.



Johnson returned to Norwich May 7, pitched well in one outing, then, disaster struck. Scheduled to start the second game of doubleheader against the New Britain (Conn.) Rockcats on May 15, Johnson didn't leave the dressing room for the dugout until just before the end of the opener.

"I was waiting to start stretching for the next game. I hadn't been in the dugout for five minutes and whack," he said.

Scott Emmons, a 6-4, 205-pound Minnesota farmhand, pulled a ball into the middle of the Navigators dugout and Johnson was on the receiving end.

"I saw it coming, but it was a line drive and I couldn't get out of the way," Johnson said.

Johnson underwent an hour and a half of surgery. Two titanium plates were inserted in his face, his right cheek bone was wired together and "there are a few screws in there."

Fortunately, Johnson's jaw was not fractured. He was able to eat normally although with pain. He wasn't allowed to run for three weeks and did little except hang around.

He went on the disabled list May 22. When cleared to play, it was back to Florida to work on getting his pitch count up to about 85.

He pitched rehab assignments with the Yankees' rookie team in the Gulf Coast League and Tampa in the Florida State League.

Finally, it was back to Norwich and good things happened Thursday night when Johnson earned his first Double A victory of the season against New Britain, 11-2.

"It was my first start. Overall, I was really pleased," he said. "I went six innings, allowed six hits, walked one and struck out six."

"I just hope to put some things together, have a good second half and play winter ball in Arizona."

Johnson joined the Yankees on Feb. 1 when the Florida Marlins sent him, left-handed pitcher Ed Yarnall and right-handed pitcher Todd Noel to New York for third baseman Mike Lowell.



Ex-'Bow Johnson ends up with Marlins
Starbulletin.com, Dec. 17, 1997


MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Players with Hawaii connections who, through Thursday's games, qualify for inclusion in the weekly statistics compiled by Howe Sportsdata International:

Batter			Team 		League		Cl	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Key Voshell 		Richmond 	Frontier  	Ind	74	17	26	1	13	.351
Chris Truby 		Jackson 	Texas		AA	281	44	77	14	46	.274
Keith Luuloa 		Edmonton 	Pacific Coast 	AAA	243	32	65	4	26	.267
Darren Blakely 		Lake Elsinore	California 	A	354	63	94	8	39	.266
Chad Santos 		Royals 		Gulf Coast 	R	51	5	13	0	6	.255
Jason Ross 		Myrtle Beach 	Carolina 	A	305	48	77	7	34	.252
Kelly Phair 		Sacramento 	Western 	Ind	130	25	32	0	14	.246
J.Thornton-Murray 	Cubs 		Arizona 	R	47	4	10	0	0	.213
Shane Victorino 	Great Falls 	Pioneer 	R	43	9	8	0	2	.186

Pitcher 		Team 		League 		Cl	IP	H	BB	SO	W-L	ERA
Corey Miller 		Athletics 	Arizona 	R	7.0	4	2	11	1-0	1.29
Andrew McNally 		Allentown 	Northern 	Ind	21.1	17	9	19	2-0	2.53
Jeff Martin 		Hickory 	So. Atlantic 	A	17.1	14	6	19	0-2	2.60
Matt Apana		Schumburg 	Northern 	Ind	22.0	19	14	15	2-0	3.27
Kaipo Spenser 		Kinston 	Carolina 	A	45.1	41	15	30	2-0	3.57
Dusty Bergman		Boise		Northwest 	A	22.1	26	8	14	2-1	4.03
Fletcher Lee		Salem-Keizer	Northwest	A	10.2	10	9	12	1-1	4.22
Mike Campbell 		Lehigh Valley	Atlantic 	Ind	35.0	30	11	38	1-3	4.63
Paul Ah Yat 		Nashville 	Pacific Coast 	AAA	16.2	18	9	12	1-0	4.86
Mike McCutcheon 	South Bend 	Midwest 	A	33.1	40	15	35	3-1	4.86
Jay Spurgeon 		Frederick 	Carolina 	A	92.1	107	38	59	4-5	4.87
Tyler Yates 		Visalia 	California 	A	50.2	60	21	46	2-3	4.97
Kyle Kawabata 		Reading		Eastern 	AA	3.1	8	2	0	0-0	5.40
Mark Johnson 		Norwich 	Eastern 	AA	23.0	30	17	19	1-1	6.26
Hawkeye Wayne		Everett		Northwest	A	6.0	12	7	6	0-0	16.50
Infielder Key Voshell, who played two seasons for the Rainbows before transfering to Louisville, signed with the Richmond Roosters of the independent Frontier League,0. June 25. Voshell was a GTE Academic All-America his senior year while hitting .335 for the 37-19 Cardinals

Orin Kawahara (Baldwin) was released by the Zion Pioneerzz of the independent Western League, July 8. He was 3-4 with a 6.90 ERA in 46 1/3 innings.



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