Jay Johnstone, Major League Outfielder and Prankster, Dies at 74
This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here.
Jay Johnstone spent 20 seasons as a major league outfielder and played in the World Series for the 1978 Yankees and the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers.
Although he had a solid career, he was never an All-Star and often saw only part-time action while playing for eight teams. When he died on Saturday in Grenada Hills, Calif., at 74, he was remembered chiefly for his greatest hits when he wasn’t wielding a bat.
Jay Johnstone was among baseball’s most creative pranksters.
His finest moment in the batter’s box came when he delivered a pinch two-run homer in the sixth inning of Game 4 of the 1981 World Series, helping to propel the Dodgers to an 8-7 victory over the Yankees that tied the Series at two games apiece. The Dodgers won the championship in six games.
