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Howard Johnson

Howard Johnson
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 14 of 1218 players
Johnson
Howard Michael Johnson
Born: November 29, 1960 at Clearwater, Fla.
Throws: Right Bats: Both
Height: 5.10 Weight: 175

Howard Johnson has been the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup 61 times, most recently on February 10, 2024.

3b ss of
Non-playing roles with Mets
  • First Base Coach 2007
  • Hitting Instructor 2007 - 2010

First Mets game: April 9, 1985
Last Mets game: July 22, 1993

Share your memories of Howard Johnson

HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY:

Adam Brown
HoJo may not be the best Met ever. I'll admit that, but he is my all-time favorite Met. He has his records. He was an awesome hitter and an awesome fielder. But he was also a really cool guy on and off field. He always gave autographs. He was a family man and he never did anything wrong. In fact if you remember in '86 he was hitting so well they thought his bat was corked and it wasn't. HoJo is the greatest.

Mike Welch
HoJo was an excellent third baseman with so many tools: speed, power and an excellent throwing arm from third. I remember the 1989 season when he virtually carried the Mets on his back during Darryl Strawberry's struggles that year. I also remember it was a bit of an adventure when a ground ball was hit his way!

Coach HoJo
December 19, 2000
HoJo is 1 of the greatest Mets of all time!!! the stats prove it and soon he will be helping young up and comers get some Met Magic when he starts Coaching the Brooklyn Cyclones

Mr. Sparkle
January 3, 2001
I agree, Hojo was an awesome player but I couldn't help but wonder why his best years were only after the Mets made the playoffs in 86 and 88. He wasn't a real impact on those teams, only 87, 89, and 91 whe the Mets went nowhere. Still, he's awesome. I'll never forget the look on his face when Tony Pena grabbed his bat in St. Louis because Herzog wanted to check it for corks. I still think Hojo should have popped Pena right in the face when he did that. That really pissed me off! Unfortunately Hojo dropped off the table after the 91 seasonh and was never even close to the player he was in that season or before. He couldn't even catch on in Chicago. It was too bad to see him lose it all so quickly. He did give us some great memories and had some clutch homers.

Won Doney
January 4, 2001
He was a great player. It's strange how he didn't really start hitting home runs or stealing bases until '87, however.

Coach HoJo
February 21, 2001
I had to get this monkey off my back big time!!!!

HOW THE HELL could Howard Johnson get little or no votes for entree into the Hall of Fame? Sure some would say HoJo doesn't belong in the Hall. But what gets me pissed off about the whole HoJo situation is that Don Mattingly who has almost the same exact stats as HoJo got many more votes and will appear in future ballots. To me this is a crime. The only reason why Don got any votes is because he played for the Yankees. Time has been very friendly to Mattingly. People like to remember what he did good but they also forget the big time slumps he got into. But people will excuse the slumps saying "He has a bad back but if he didn't have a bad back he would have been a million times better." Well, last time I checked the Hall of Fame isnt a place for "What ifs." Its a place for people who have made an impact for their team or the game its self while putting up great numbers. Mattingly Had good numbers sometimes but his continuous slumps and the fact that he had little or no impact in helping the Yanks out of their losing woes doesn't help either. Howard on the other hand was a hitting machine and was a key part of the Mets success in the late 80's. HoJo's only problem was that he stayed in baseball to long.

RheingoldFan
March 16, 2001
AMEN, Coach Ho Jo!! I couln't agree more. Granted I don't think that HoJo necessarily deserves entrance into the Hall, but based on numbers, neither do Rabbit Maranville, Rick Ferrell, Eppa Rixey or Nellie Fox, among others. And if Mattingly gets even one vote, it will be an injustice. HoJo was a star in Flushing, but could you imagine what he would've been in the Bronx? Outside of the city, he was an underappreciated, not very well known gamer. Sure, anyone can be made a megastar if they worked for an egocentric idiot like Steinbrenner. Now if Mattingly played for the Mets, I can guarantee that he wouldn't be treated like a martyr the way the Yankees are making him out to be. For my money, I'll take HoJo any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

EG
March 17, 2001
Never saw the fastball he couldn't turn on. The cat and mouse game between he and Whitey Herzog was priceless.

Probably the best 3B in team history, depending upon how Ventura does in the next 2 years.

Joe Figliola
July 20, 2001
I score Mets baseball games and have a record of every game/season since 1971. In 1992, when I began compiling my top 10 all-time Met scoring records lists, I noticed that not one Met had reached the 100-hit mark in lifetime hits. This partially was my fault; some seasons I scored a ton games, others were of the one- to six- game variety.

I went through the numbers of all the active Mets entering the '92 season and found that Hojo had the best shot with 77 scored hits. Despite a season-ending injury, Hojo racked up 14 hits to put him within striking range of the mark.

In 1993, after an 0-15 start, Hojo made his move with 6 hits in 15 at-bats before getting knocked out for the year with another injury. Hojo finished his Met scoring career with 97 hits.

It would not be until 1996 that a Met cracked the 100- hit for me (Jeff Kent). But I sometimes still wish that a nice guy like Hojo would've been the first.

Chris
July 27, 2001
Tim McCarver doing the game on TV, 1986 Mets in St. Louis, trailing by one. Todd Worrell pitching. "The Mets need a long ball.......and they just might have it." Howard Johnson's HR ties the game in the ninth. Mets go on to win.. Howard Johnson pumps his fists before entering the dugout. #20 Johnson lives on in Mark.

Mike
July 29, 2001
First of all, is it me or is it ridiculous to even suggest Hojo as a Hall of Famer? He had a few solid years, but I remember always feeling like he wouldn't last long, like he was some star imposter. Nice guy agreed.

Jon
August 7, 2001
In Fort Lauderdale in 1993, I was watching a Cardinals-Pirates spring training game and shooting the breeze with my fellow fans in the right field bleachers. Several innings had passed before I realized one of the guys I was speaking with was Hojo's father. He told me it was doubtful his son had much left then -- he had a bad shoulder or back that had hampered his 92 season and it hadn't improved much. He was kind of sad about that.

You could make an argument that Hojo was the best all-around offensive player in Mets history.

Coach HoJo 20
December 16, 2001
The Coach is now the new manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones! This is very cool to hear but I wish this guy was on the coaching staff of the NY Mets. HoJo brings the knowledge of being a great hitter and a World Series Champion, this will aide the progress of many youngsters but I think his assets would be of better use on the NY Mets. Hopefully this will happen sooner rather than later.

Ben Frishman
January 27, 2002
I am not sure why Hojo is my favorite player of all time. I guess that since I was a kid right during the height of his career that would be an easy explanation. Hojo is my favorite player of all time because he is (in my opinion) the coolest player of all time. I have a goatee and subliminaly it is prob because of Hojo.

Brian Lehmann
February 10, 2002
"the Hoje Monster" as I called him, was by far and away my favorite Met as a kid. The first time I really took notice of him was in '87 during a doubleheader against the Pirates. He had struck out, but on a past ball ran full speed and slid in head first to reach base. He then stole second and scored on a single by Kevin Elster. The next time up batting lefty he pulled a pitch into the mezzanine in right field, which he seemed to do time and time again.

An all-out Mr. Hustle kind of guy!! He brought many a smile to my face and brightened up my childhood.

I still have a framed picture and his Starting Lineup action figure on display in my room.

Oh yeah, I'm sure Todd Worrell has some choice words for HoJo.

Justin Kennedy
April 23, 2002
Personally my favorite player ever. Here's a guy who could smack the hell out of the ball, a great all around player, he played SS,3B and OF when you needed him too and was a always a threat to steal when he was on base. I'd really like to see him eventually become the Mets batting coach, he is currently for the Brooklyn Cyclones. I still have a HoJo poster up in my room and have no plans to take it down in the future.

Steve
May 16, 2002
HoJo was an all out type of guy. My favorite memory was a game in 1991 or 1992. HoJo got hit by a pitch then stole 2nd (the ball hit him as he slid in), stole 3rd and then scored on a shallow fly ball to right field. I thought that really summed up his career. An all out guy. A true Met. I hope they at least retire his number some day.

David Block
January 25, 2003
I just came back from Mets Fantasy Camp, 2003. I got to hit (or try to hit!) Eric Hillman, who was back again and commented above, but I'm writing because I was lucky enough to have had HoJo as my manager down there!

He is a super nice guy, soft-spoken, and great to be around.

I reminded him of a homer he hit in Pittsburgh in 1988: the Pirates were surging in August,the Mets were up by only a few games, and we were down by a run, 2-1 or 3-2, with two out and nobody on. HoJo was our last hope. With two strikes the Pirate fans were on their feet, cheering for the third strike. The noise was deafening, and HoJo hit one into the rightfield seats.

He went around the bases in total silence. All the air went out of Three River Stadium with HoJo's blast, and the Pirates' season was over.

HoJo told me that this was one of his favorite homers, and he remembered it well. He said that the Pirate catcher went out to the mound before the pitch and told his pitcher to throw only curves to HoJo, but when he put down two fingers the pitcher shook him off. He threw the fastball anyway, and HoJo nailed it into the seats! He said, "You're right. You could hear a pin drop as I went around the bases."

He managed in Brooklyn last year. Tim Tuefel will be managing Brooklyn this year, but HoJo will be managing Port St. Lucie this year.

Super guy. We all enjoyed talking with him and playing for him.

Adam Tenzer
January 28, 2003
Growing up, Hojo was definitely an idol of mine. In his heyday, he proved himself to be a clutch performer and a fantastic presence in the clubhouse. Anyway, I had the opportunity to meet him when I was 13 years old, at a baseball memorabilia show in New Jersey. My best friend actually had one of Hojo's batting helmets from the 1986 World Series (a batboy had thrown it over the dugout during Game 5), and Hojo signed it and was an extremely nice guy. It's something I won't forget, and it's really special when a childhood hero lives up to the lofty expectation of being a classy and thoughtful off-the-field individual.

Maxwell Kates
April 7, 2003
HoJo had a funny way of signing autographs late in his career. One time I saw some kids trying to get autographs with a notepad and a pen on a fishing line. They'd reel in the pad, and hope to fish out an autograph. One of them got a genuine "Howard Johnson 20." So I asked if I could put a baseball card in their fishing line with their notepad, and they refused. Good thing. The other person reeled in their notepad, and all they got from HoJo was "HI DORK."

Eric Krupin
August 29, 2003
As Solzhenitsyn wrote, "The grass has grown thick on the grave of my youth." But I still remember from the heady days of '86 our affectionate salute - "HoJo's a hero!" And so he was.

Danny Baseball
January 19, 2004
HOJO has to be the greatest Met third baseman of all time. He's also the coolest, next to my idol SId Fernandez. Growing up in the 80's I had the pleasure of watching him smash moonshots into the night at Shea stadium. I also had the pleasure of meeting him in 2001 at KeySpan park in Coney Island. THanks for the memories and the autograph ball.

James
April 10, 2004
Howard may not have been the best baseball player ever but he did make the 30 30 club three times, lead league in home runs, and all this without the steroids that the greats use today,

Feat Fan
June 13, 2004
"Maybe they should see if his body is corked."

Ho Jo's quote around 15 years ago when asked about Bo Jackson.

Kiwiwriter
July 13, 2004
It was unfortunate how the Mets tried to turn him into something he was not -- the new Darryl Strawberry, moving him to center field, where he was very weak defensively. He just did not like being in the center of the spotlight.

A great hitter, a good team player, a genial nice guy, and I'm glad he's managing and coaching with the Mets now.

When the Mets got him, I asked Jay Horwitz if they still had Ronald McDonald on the roster. Jay said no. I said, "Too bad. You should go out and get a player named Burger King, too."

Ileana
October 23, 2004
I was born in 1982 so I don't have many memories of Howard Johnson, but what I do remember is being a little Met fan in the late 80's and being in love with HoJo. I even remember making my parents stay at Howard Johnson motels when we would go out of town. I never went anywhere without his baseball card. Let's just say I love Howard Johnson.

Jonathan Stern
April 17, 2005
I don't know how it's possible for a player to be so good you know before he steps to the plate that he is about to hit one out, yet even then so look unbelievably insecure and uncomfortable. Hojo was that type of player, sad to say. He was miscast as a superstar and the pressures he heaped on himself, combined with Torborg's ridiculous decision to put him in centerfield, eventually broke him. I won't say that I knew he was going to collapse as a player, but I wasn't shocked when he did. Of course, even today I am amazed at how drastic the fall was.

Still, his excellent post-1986 performances were a major saving grace during the franchise's downward years. I remember standing behind the fence watching the players leave the park after a 1992 game. A beautiful young blonde was screaming and squealing for Hojo. When he showed up, he signed autographs and after the girl got hers, she carried on like a Beatlemaniac. She was cute. If you were there, you had to laugh.

Hojo might well have been the happiest person in Shea after the Game 6, '86 Buckner play. After all, he was due to bat after Mookie - and was the first to greet Ray Knight at home plate.

George Felonbrenner
May 12, 2005
Childhood favorite. As a 9 year old, I absolutely idolized the guy. Though his average wasn’t up to par, he had great power numbers.

HOJO is the type of player that made me a Mets fan. He wasn't a flashy, media hyped, glamor gal that you'd find on the Yankees. He was a blue collar, down to Earth player who was CLUTCH. A small town-big town hero of sorts. Never got the ink he deserved and surely won't be remembered by the casual fan, but to those of us who watched him, he's a legend in our hearts.

Susan
July 8, 2005
In 1986, one of my favorite years by far, I met HoJo at a department store in Babylon, NY. He was there to sign autographs. I arrived 4 hours early so I could be first on line. I got on line 6 different times and HoJo signed everything I asked him to. I almost blinded him with all the flash pictures I was taking of him. He even showed me his World Series ring he had gotten with the Tigers.

I remember thinking I wanted to marry him. I was 16 at the time.

He will always be one of my favorite Mets, along with Bob Bailor and Robin Ventura.

I remember going to a game and sitting in the picnic area and HoJo started in left field that game. It was great. He was the team clown and just always seemed to be in a good mood. The 1989 season was one of HoJo's best. I will always dislike Ray Knight for replacing my HoJo.

I recently saw him at a game in PA. He was coaching the Cyclones. I wish he was coaching the Mets.

Wrightfanatic
December 8, 2006
Great to see him get a job with the Mets. He'll no doubt help the younger guys. Remember he was Wright's hitting coach in Norfolk

Tom L
February 14, 2007
Tim McCarver had the best comment regarding the corked bat incident. He suggested that maybe Herzog and Pena should be checking HoJo's forearms for cork instead of his bat!

Bonbolito
October 13, 2008
He was frustrating because he was so good offensively and then he'd make these crazy, awful errors. It was as if his defense would cancel out his offense and make him a wash. I particularly remember his penchant for bad throws. It's funny that he is mentioned as being David Wright's mentor. Wright's errors are similar in type to the ones Howard used to make.

Dave VW
October 2, 2022
I just recently watched a game from the 1991 season that featured Johnson wearing the #44. Thinking that looked out of place, I discovered he only wore #44 for 6 games that year, from May 10-15, during which time the Mets went 4-2 and Johnson hit .273 with 2 home runs. The number had only just become available when David Cone switched from #44 to #17 to honor former teammate Keith Hernandez. Johnson said he made the change to shake himself from an early season slump, though his timing was strange. Yes, he was hitting only .222 in 1991 when he made the change, but he had collected two hits in each of his last two games before giving up the #20, so the slump appeared to already be at an end. Nevertheless, he said he never felt comfortable in the new number and switched back to the #20 on May 17. As luck would have it, the Mets would go 3-6 in the 9 games after he went back to the #20.

As far as the numbers go, Tim Burke would inherit the #44 once he was acquired from Montreal in July, keeping the same number he had with the Expos. And though some argue the Mets should have retired the #20 in honor of HoJo, it sure looks good on a certain Polar Bear who plays for the Mets currently.








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