Former AL Batting Champion, Alex Johnson Dies

Alex Johnson, who played 13 years in the majors and won the AL batting title with the then-California Angels in 1970, has died. He was 72. Alex Johnson Jr. said Wednesday that his father died Saturday of complications from prostate cancer.

The elder Johnson played for eight teams in a career that began in 1964 with Philadelphia, batting .288 with 78 homers and 525 RBIs. The left fielder was an All-Star for the Angels in 1970, and his final season was in 1976 with his hometown Detroit Tigers.

Johnson spent just two seasons with the Angels, but became the only batting champion in the 55-year-old franchise's history when he hit .329 in 1970. Johnson beat out Carl Yastrzemski for the crown on the final day of the season, going 2 for 3 and inching .0003 percentage points ahead of the Boston star.