I surprised myself." Slowed by an injury that occurred early in the season, he missed 13 days of play. Johnson was rushed back into the team's starting line-up, and as a consequence his home run totals slumped dramatically. He also was used as an occasional starting pitcher. A submarine pitcher of exceptional ability, he was essentially the Philadelphia Giants' fourth starter in 1905. His gutsy mound appearances kept everyone questioning why he did not pitch more often. In 1906, Johnson moved to the Brooklyn Royal Giants, where he was again captain, and led the team to championships in 1908 and 1909. Sportswriter Harry Daniels named Captain Grant Johnson to his 1909 "All-American Team" saying he "always has been a hard, consistent hitter, fielder, and base runner, and a great handler." In 1910, Johnson signed with Rube Foster's Leland Giants and hit .397. Around this time he began to be known by the nickname of "Dad" Johnson as well as his old nickname, "Home Run Johnson." From 1911 to 1913, Johnson played for the New York Lincoln Giants, hitting .374, .413, and .371. In 1913, the Lincoln Giants won the eastern title and beat the Chicago American Giants in the championship playoff. Later, he played with the Pittsburgh Colored Stars of Buffalo and managed the Buffalo Giants. Later life and death Johnson continued to play with lesser teams until finally retiring from baseball in 1932 at the age of 58. Afterwards, he lived in Buffalo, where he worked for the New York Central Railroad Company. Johnson was buried in Lakeside Cemetery (formerly Lakeside Memorial Park Cemetery and Buffalo Rural Cemetery) in Hamburg, New York on September 14, 1963. On November 5, 2021, he was selected to the final ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Early Days Committee for consideration for the Class of 2022. He received three votes or fewer of the necessary twelve votes. References Sources Dixon, Phil S. The 1905 Philadelphia Giants (Phil Dixon's American Baseball Chronicles, Volume III). – See Phil Dixon's ...; the books (Riley.) Grant "Home Run" Johnson, Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley (confirmed 2010-04-13) Lutzke, Mitch. The Page Fence Giants, A History of Black Baseball's Pioneering Champions. McFarland Publishing Inc. 2018 External links BaseballLibrary - profile 1872 births 1963 deaths 20th-century African-American people Negro league baseball managers Findlay Sluggers players Page Fence Giants players Chicago Unions players