The Two Steve Johnsons

Twenty-three years to the day that he earned his first major league win with the Orioles, Dave Johnson watched his son, Steve, do the same thing Wednesday night. Steve Johnson shares the name of his uncle, who died in 1980. Dave Johnson dedicated his first big league victory in 1989 to his deceased brother. So you could call this feel good story, "The Two Steve Johnsons." Dave Johnson tossed a complete game Aug. 8, 1989, to extend a streak of four consecutive O's starters getting into the eighth inning. He became the 10th Orioles starter of the '89 season and the fifth to have begun the season in the minors. "My brother, Steve, was with me at the first Orioleland all-star game I pitched in and he died a few weeks afterward," Johnson said in an emotional 1989 post-game interview following his first win. "This is for him. He made a couple of phone calls and tried to get me a couple of try-outs because he knew this is what I wanted." The younger Johnson went six innings, struck out nine, walked two and allowed two runs on five hits in a 9-2 victory against the Mariners that extended the Orioles' win streak to five games. "It was something I was thinking about for a long time, get my first win and have him here," Steve Johnson told reporters afterward. "And the way those days worked out, 23 years to the day. It's just special. It's all I can really say about it. It means a lot to me.". The Orioles followed up this touching father-son narrative Wednesday night with the news that they have called up top prospect Manny Machado. They made a less-heralded personnel move in 1989 following Dave Johnson's big night, demoting 25-year-old outfielder Brady Anderson to the minors and calling up the recently acquired Stan Jefferson. -34-