In March 1943, after complaining that he was underappreciated, Johnson was traded at his request to the Washington Senators for outfielder Bobby Estalella and cash. He thrived in his first pennant race in years as Washington finished in second place, the second and last time he would be on a winning team. His veteran leadership was invaluable to the team, as despite posting career lows in nearly every offensive category – a .265 batting average, .400 slugging average, seven home runs, 63 RBI, 65 runs, 116 hits, 22 doubles, 117 games and 438 at bats – he placed fifth in the Most Valuable Player Award balloting (the highest finish of his career) and was again an All-Star. The decline in his offensive statistics is partially attributable to moving from hitter-friendly Shibe Park to cavernous Griffith Stadium; but as he did not even lead his own team in any category, the respect suggested by the Most Valuable Player vote is remarkable. Boston Red Sox At the end of the 1943 season, Johnson's contract was purchased by the Boston Red Sox, a deal Washington owner Clark Griffith later described as his worst ever. At 38, Johnson had an excellent season for the Sox, collecting 106 RBI and 106 runs (both second in the league) in 144 games and leading the AL with a .431 on-base percentage. He hit for the cycle on July 6, came in third in the batting race with a .324 average (behind Lou Boudreau, .327, and teammate Bobby Doerr, .325), lost the slugging title to Doerr by a fraction of a point, and was 10th in the Most Valuable Player Award voting. He was named to the All-Star team in both 1944 and 1945, although the 1945 All-Star game was not played due to World War II travel restrictions. With numerous players returning to the major leagues from military service, he retired at the end of the season after hitting .280 with 12 home runs and 74 RBI. Statistics Johnson compiled a .296 career batting average with 2,051 hits, 396 doubles, 95 triples and 96 stolen bases in 1,863 games. His 1,592 games in left field then put him behind only Goose Goslin (1,949) and Bobby Veach (1,671) in AL history. Many modern baseball fans are unfamiliar with Johnson, but he posted excellent totals in 13 years before quietly retiring. While primarily a left fielder, Johnson also played