Johnson narrowly escapes injury before state tournament

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on July 25, 2014 1:48 PM

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aetzler@newsargus.com

It's often said that baseball is a game of inches.

An inch here or an inch there can mean the difference in a strikeout or a walk. An inch here or an inch there can mean the difference in a home run or a run-saving catch at the fence.

An inch here or an inch there could have meant the difference in Greg Johnson's ability to pitch in the 2014 N.C. Senior American Legion state tournament.

While Johnson was at work at Deacon Jones Ford car dealership, he was taking window stickers off of a car with a razor blade.

The blade slipped and cut the outside part of his left thumb.

It was a small cut that Johnson, a left-handed pitcher for Wayne County Post 11, was able to clean up, glue together and get back to work without much pain.

Lucky for Wayne County.

"A little bit more to the middle and there would have been some pain especially while throwing," Johnson admitted.

Johnson narrowly escaped an injury that Post 11 could ill-afford to have just three days before its first game in the state tournament in Lexington today. Had Johnson not been able to pitch Post 11 would have been without a player who's been a top-two pitcher for the entire season. Johnson and right-hander Jackson Hayes have led a depleted pitching staff, combining for 9 of the team's 16 wins.

Johnson has thrown 51 innings and has a 5-3 record. His earned run average is a solid 3.26 and he has 43 strikeouts for a K:BB ratio better than 2:1.

This past spring, Johnson's freshman season at Methodist University, he threw just over 30 innings and battled a bad elbow strain for a good portion of the season. But he's been able to come back from it and put together a season that exceeded expectations.

"Greg's been a horse for us," head coach Jason Sherrer said. "His last couple starts he hasn't been great, but he's been good enough for us to win."

While Post 11 could not afford another injury to a member of an overworked pitching staff, Johnson brings his biggest contribution to the field no matter if he's playing or not.

"He's our catalyst on the pitching staff," Sherrer said.

Johnson is the only player on the roster who played college ball last spring. A rising sophomore at Methodist University, he is the elder statesman in the group. He is the player most pitchers turn to for advice on little things like how to pitch to certain hitters.

"We call him 'pops,'" Sherrer said. "It's just a joke but he's the oldest guy we have so we give him a bit of a hard time."

But Johnson truly is one of the players Sherrer relies on most on and off the field. He's a joker who can have a good time, but also knows when it's time to get down to business.

Even on the bench during the game, Johnson's focus is locked in. He's charting other pitcher's pitches, and getting loud for his teammates.

"He's been a good pitcher for us, but he's been a real good role guy for us as far when he's not pitching," Sherrer said. "He sets himself and the team up to be successful and learn."