Johnny Blanchard was born on Sunday, February 26, 1933, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Blanchard was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 25, 1955, with the New York Yankees. Blanchard savored his position as the Yankees' third-string catcher for most of his career. A defensive liability, he nearly quit in 1960 when Casey Stengel considered activating 40-year-old bullpen coach Jim Hegan to back up Yogi Berra while Elston Howard was injured. Stengel reconsidered, and Blanchard responded in 1961 with adequate defense and a career-best .305, 21 HR season. Blanchard holds the record with ten World Series pinch-hitting appearances.

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