MISSING IN ACTION- 1970 KEN JOHNSON CAREER CAPPER

Here’s a “missing” 1970 career-capper for pitcher Ken Johnson, the very same guy who I profiled in my “Turn Back the Clock” thread for being the first to LOSE an official 9-inning no-hitter while a member of the Houston Colt .45’s:

Johnson was wrapping up a nice 13-year Major League career in 1970, and appeared in 30 games during the 1969 season, split between three teams: Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and finally the Chicago Cubs.
 He finished with a 2-5 record along with a 3.89 earned run average over 74 innings, including a couple of saves.
He was a solid starter during the 1960’s, lost no-hitter aside, posting six 10+ game-winning seasons with a high of 16 in 1965, all for lower-tiered teams, with a couple of sub-3.00 ERA years thrown in.
He would finish with a 91-106 career record with a 3.46 ERA over 334 games with 1042 strikeouts in 1737.1 innings.

TURN BACK THE CLOCK: KEN JOHNSON FIRST TO LOSE A CG NO-HITTER

Imagine reaching one of the heights of pitching magic in the Major Leagues and yet LOSING the game?
Today we look back at the first pitcher to LOSE an official no-hitter that he pitched, Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt .45’s:

On April 23, 1964, Johnson took the mound for the then-known Colt .45’s against the Cincinnati Reds.
With the score at 0-0 into the ninth-inning, Pete Rose reached second base on an error by Ken Johnson himself, went to third on a ground-out, then scored on another error, this one committed by future Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox on a Vada Pinson grounder.
After opposing pitcher Joe Nuxhall retired the side in the bottom of the ninth, Johnson became the first pitcher to ever lose a complete-game no-hitter.
By the time Johnson retired after the 1970 season with the Montreal Expos, he left with a 91-106 record, primarily with losing teams, along with a 3.46 earned run average and 1042 strikeouts over 1737.1 innings and 334 appearances, 231 of them starts.