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Darrell Dean Johnson (August 25, 1928 – May 3, 2004) was an American professional catcher, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a manager, he led the 1975 Boston Red Sox to the American League pennant, and was named "Manager of the Year" by both The Sporting News Sarasota Herald-Tribune, October 8, 1975 and the Associated Press.The Associated Press, October 28, 1975
Johnson's playing career was interrupted by an eleven-month stint as an MLB coach with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960–1961. After playing in eight games, with three plate appearances, for the Cardinals, he was released as a player on August 5 and added to the coaching staff of manager Solly Hemus, then reappointed for . When the Redbirds fired Hemus on July 6, 1961, Johnson was released along with him. Three days later, he signed a player's contract with the last-place Philadelphia Phillies and caught 21 games for them in five weeks before being sold to the pennant-contending Cincinnati Reds on August 14.
The Reds were then games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, but over the final six weeks of the season they overtook the Dodgers to win the National League championship by four full contests. Johnson appeared in 20 games (including 17 as the club's starting catcher, with the Reds going 8–9). 1961 regular season fielding log from Retrosheet In limited duty, he batted .315 with 17 hits, including his second and last big-league home run, hit off the Dodgers' Johnny Podres on August 16. 1961-8-16 box score from Retrosheet He appeared in the 1961 World Series against his former team, the Yankees, and had two singles in four at bats (both of them off Baseball Hall of Famer Whitey Ford) as the Reds lost to the slugging Yanks of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, four games to one. He started Games 1 and 4, both of them Cincinnati defeats. Baseball Reference
The Reds released Johnson only a few days into the 1962 season, and he signed with the Orioles as a backup catcher before retiring as a player in June and serving out the year as Baltimore's bullpen.
After a year spent scouting for the 1967 Yankees, Johnson was named pitching coach of the Boston Red Sox on October 31, , succeeding Sal Maglie who had been released after the World Series. "Darrell Johnson Named Bosox Pitching Coach," The Associated Press (AP), Tuesday, October 31, 1967. Retrieved August 17, 2019 When manager Dick Williams was fired in September , Johnson was retained by the Red Sox as a scout in 1970, Darrell Johnson to stay with Boston then managed Boston's Louisville Colonels International League affiliate in 1971–72. In 1973, he became the first manager of the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, finishing 78–68 and winning his second Governors' Cup, emblematic of the International League's playoff championship, in his only PawSox season. That championship earned him a promotion to the parent club as Red Sox manager.
As a big-league manager, Johnson led three different teams over eight seasons. His career began when he succeeded Eddie Kasko following the conclusion of the Red Sox's 1973 campaign on September 30. "Darrell Johnson New Sox Leader," The Associated Press (AP), Monday, October 1, 1973. Retrieved August 17, 2019 His biggest success came during his Red Sox posting when he compiled a win–loss record of 220–188 for a .539 winning percentage. He guided Boston to a 95–65 (.594) mark in and a first-place finish in the AL East. The Sox then swept the three-time defending world champion Oakland Athletics in the playoffs, 3–0, to win the American League pennant. But they lost to the Cincinnati "Big Red Machine" in the thrilling 1975 World Series, four games to three. In an interview conducted by Tim Russert on CNBC in 2003, Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk named Johnson as the biggest influence in his professional life.[9]. Retrieved March 14, 2021 Johnson also had his detractors, such as Bill Lee, who stated that the team won "despite our manager", who did not communicate well with his players and even had his pitching coach stationed in the Red Sox bullpen rather than the dugout during the 1975 Series.
In , Boston started poorly, losing 15 of its first 21 games, then rallied and finally climbed above the .500 mark on July 6 (38–37). As the incumbent pennant-winning manager, Johnson managed the 1976 American League All-Star team (with his team losing 7–1 at Veterans Stadium on July 13). But by then the Red Sox were mired in another slump, and only five days later on July 19, Johnson was fired in favor of third-base coach Don Zimmer after the team had lost eight of its last 11 games. At the time of his dismissal, Boston was out of contention with a 41–45 record, in fifth place and 13 games behind the Yankees. "Red Sox Fire Darrell Johnson, Promote Don Zimmer," The Associated Press (AP), Tuesday, July 20, 1976. Retrieved August 17, 2019 Johnson then briefly returned to scouting for the Red Sox.
Johnson was hired to become the first-ever manager of the expansion team Seattle Mariners on September 3, 1976. "Darrell Johnson named as coach of Mariners," The Associated Press (AP), Friday, September 3, 1976. Retrieved August 17, 2019 Lou Gorman, Seattle's director of baseball operations, stated that Johnson would also assist in scouting players for the upcoming expansion draft. Johnson said that he was looking for players with "pride, aggressiveness, and the right mental attitude." Stars and Strikes: Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer of '76, Dan Epstein, New York: St. Martin's Press, 2014. With the Mariners at 39–65 and tied for last place in the American League West, he was fired on 4 August and replaced by Maury Wills. "Wills New Manager of Seattle," The Washington Post, Tuesday 5 August 1980. Retrieved 12 June 2025. His record in seasons in Seattle was 226–362 (.384).
Johnson then worked as third-base coach for the Texas Rangers, under Zimmer, starting in before taking over as interim manager on July 30, 1982. Don Zimmer replaced by Darrell Johnson Six years earlier, the roles had been reversed when third-base coach Zimmer succeeded Johnson as manager in Boston on July 18, 1976. In his final managerial role, Johnson's Rangers went 26–40 (.394) in the season's final two months. He finished with a 472–590 record for a .444 career percentage as a Major League manager.
He then moved to the New York Mets as minor league coordinator of instruction and a longtime scout. He also served as the Mets' bench coach on the staff of Dallas Green from May 20, 1993, Sexton, Joe, "It's Lights Out for Torborg ..." The New York Times, May 20, 1993 through the end of that season. Nobles, Charlie, "Season is History, So is Stottlemyre." The New York Times, October 4, 1993
Johnson died from leukemia at the age of 75 in 2004 in Fairfield, California. Former Red Sox Manager Darrell Johnson dies
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