The baseball doesn’t fall far from the tree

Baltimore Oriole pitcher Steve Johnson and his father have a special connection

Pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles Courtesy of YahooSports.com

Sarasota, Fla.- Baseball traditions run deep in Steve Johnson’s family.

The Baltimore Orioles right-handed pitcher continues to follow in his father’s footsteps as a Major League ballplayer.

Steve Johnson’s father Dave Johnson has been a coach and mentor to help mould himself into a potential everyday pitcher.

“Its been nice to have somebody who’s actually been through the exact same thing that I have been through,” said Johnson as the sun rose on the Orioles Ed Smith practice facility in Sarasota. “He had a long road in the minors and he finally came up at an older age and hes taught me everything on and off the field.”

With both father and son earning their stripes by working their way through the minor leagues, the pair know better than most what it takes to win on a major league level.

Dave Johnson also had the chance to pitch for the Orioles, spending three seasons in Baltimore from 1989 to 1991. He went 21-24 in three seasons with the Orioles.

Thanks to his dad’s stint as a major league pitcher, Steve leans heavily on his biggest fan and mentor.

“We re always bouncing things back and forth after a game,” said Johnson when asked about his father’s influence. “I usually talk to him after every game, so I give him a call and he’ll ask me questions about what happened, he tries to watch online, its just nice to have that opportunity”

In 2013 Steve Johnson had the opportunity to notch his first big league win on the very same day his father did 23 years previous.

“Yeah same team same day, I didn’t know it until I was on my way to the field for the start and he had mentioned it to me,” said Johnson when asked about the unique milestone. “I was like no pressure right, I really wanted to win and to be able to get that win and have that moment for our family was really cool.”

Since that day in 2013 the father and son duo have remained close and Steve continues to look to his father for guidance.

“Normally my dad has always been a guy that I’ve always been able to go to, because he knows my delivery, sometimes its hard hearing somebody else because they maybe want you to change something.”

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About this article

By: Flip Livingstone
Posted: Mar 11 2015 8:19 pm
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Filed under: Baseball Sports
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