Blair Johnson Pitches Ultimate Proposal

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Blair Johnson Pitches Ultimate Proposal

Kyle Galdeira
11/18/07

Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Blair Johnson came to Hawaii with the goal of getting back into pitching shape after spending most of the regular season on the shelf with shoulder and forearm injuries.

But, while Johnson spends time in Hawaii Winter Baseball working on mastering his pitches and growing accustomed to the various situations and sequences in which to use them, he did take some time to make a pitch of a different sort. The Topeka, Kan. native secured the help of North Shore Honu teammates Brett Sinkbeil and Sean Walker and planned a “perfect” Oct. 18 evening which culminated in a marriage proposal on the beach fronting Waikiki’s Halekulani Hotel to Jeslyn Scott, Johnson’s girlfriend of over four years.

“I’ve put that girl through four full seasons of baseball, and she’s awesome,” Johnson says of his fiancé whom he met in Topeka as he was starting his pro career just after high school. “She’s been there, through my (shoulder) surgery in the hospital taking care of me. She’s definitely been my rock to fall back on when things go bad (on the field), she’s always there. I knew it was a matter of time before I popped the question, and I knew she was waiting for it.”

Scott accepted the offer, and the pair plans on getting married in November of 2008.

With his personal matters well in hand, Johnson can re-focus on helping North Shore claim its second consecutive league title. In six appearances, Johnson is second on the squad in innings pitched (27 1/3), and owns a 2-1 record along with a solid 2.96 ERA. The right hander has struck out 26 compared to seven walks allowed, and is tied for second on the team with three double plays induced.

“I’m having a great time, it’s fun being on a winning team,” says Johnson of his Honu squad which compiled a league-best 22-10 record through games played through Nov. 12. “It’s fun coming out here every day, and being with these guys and learning. I’m out here teaching myself to throw on the mound, and correcting myself. Since I was rehabbing for most of last season, I missed out on a lot of valuable situations.”

In eight games with the High-A Lynchburg Hillcats during the regular season, Johnson was only able to pitch in eight games through which he compiled a 1-4 record and an inflated 6.82 ERA. He’s hoping that the time spent in HWB will help him grow in all the areas necessary for a pitcher.

“They just want me to get better,” Johnson says of his directive from the Pirates. “I learn from everybody else, when we’re out there throwing and doing the long-toss program, we’re talking. We’re talking about grips, situational stuff, and about the (current) pitcher and what we would have thrown in certain situations.”