Dan Johnson (baseball)

Daniel Ryan Johnson (born August 10, 1979) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, and St. Louis Cardinals from 2005 to 2015. He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama BayStars in 2009.

Johnson is perhaps best known for hitting a dramatic two-out, two-strike home run for the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the ninth inning of the last game of the 2011 season, also known as Wild Card Wednesday. That home run tied the game, which the Rays eventually won, sending them to the playoffs. His clutch hitting for the Rays, along with his red hair and beard, earned him the nickname "The Great Pumpkin".

Also within his extensive Minor League Baseball career that began in 2001, Johnson has won a Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in two different Triple-A leagues. He won the Pacific Coast League MVP in 2004 and the International League MVP in 2010.

In 2016, Johnson signed with the Rays organization, entering spring training as a knuckleball pitcher.