Earl Douglas Johnson (April 2, 1919 â December 3, 1994) was an American professional baseball player and scout and a decorated World War II veteran. He was a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers. Johnson, who was nicknamed the "smiling Swedish southpaw", had a brother Chet who also pitched in the major leagues for the St. Louis Browns. He was born in Redmond, Washington.
Earl Johnson was also a World War II veteran, having served with the Army 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division. He enlisted in December 1941 and during that time he was awarded a Silver and Bronze Star and was commissioned a lieutenant.
On the Bronze Star, it read:
Johnson's Major League Baseball debut was on July 20, 1940. During eight seasons, He pitched for the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers. He also pitched two years at Saint Mary's College of California and four years in the minor leagues (three at Triple-A). His final MLB game was on June 3, 1951. Nowlin then worked for the Red Sox as a west coast scout from 1953 to 1985 and during his time, he helped sign players such as Ted Bowsfield, Mike Garman and Steve Lyons.
Johnson was married and had two children. He owned and operated a laundromat in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.
At the age of 75, he died in Seattle in 1994 after suffering a stroke.