[1] Johnson is most noted for his emergency start at SkyDome on September 30, 1989, in the regular season's penultimate game, which the Orioles needed to win to extend the AL East championship race by at least one day.

Pressed into service as a result of Pete Harnisch accidentally stepping on a nail while returning to his hotel room the previous night, he allowed two hits in seven innings before being subbed out after walking Nelson Liriano to start the eighth with the Orioles leading 3–1.

The Toronto Blue Jays scored three times in that inning and won both the game 4–3 and the AL East title.

[1][2] Johnson was the starting and losing pitcher in Wilson Álvarez's 7–0 no-hitter at Memorial Stadium on August 11, 1991.

[3] He wrote a Guideposts article titled "Against the Odds," which appeared in the May 1990 issue of the magazine (pp 2–5).