1978 Topps Baseball #54 - Tom Johnson

• During the first month or so of the 1978 season it looked like Tom Johnson was on his way to a pretty good year. He was 1-4 with 3 saves and had a 3.00 ERA in mid-May. Tom had a few rough outings and by early June his ERA was up to 5.14. Johnson went on the disabled list and made only two more appearances in September. Tom was released after the 1978 season and then underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff.
• Johnson missed the entire 1979 season and then tried to come back with the Chicago White Sox in 1980. He had a 6.65 ERA in 15 starts in AAA and then called it quits.
• Tom is now a Christian pastor. He and his wife have been living in Slovakia and running a ministry there for a few years. Here is a video about their work there

• 1978 Stats: 1-4, 3 saves, 5.51 ERA in 18 games
• 1978 Highlights:
• April 15 - Pitched two scoreless innings and earned the win as the Twins beat the Seattle Mariners 6-5 in 11 innings.
• May 16 - Allowed no runs in three innings and got the save (his last one) in Minnesota's 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. 
• The Twins were really struggling to get fans to attend games in 1978. They averaged only about 9700 fans per game.