Chet Lemon

Early years

Lemon was born on February 12, 1955, in Jackson, Mississippi, and moved to Los Angeles when he was six months old. He attended John C. Fremont High School, where he played in the backfield with Ricky Bell on the football team and also starred on the baseball team.

Professional baseball

Minor leagues

Lemon was drafted in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1972 Major League Baseball draft by the Oakland Athletics. He began his professional baseball career in 1972 playing for the Athletics' minor league team in Coos Bay-North Bend, Oregon. After 38 games in Oregon, he moved up to the Burlington Bees in the Midwest League. He remained with Burlington through the 1973 and 1974 seasons.

Lemon was traded along with Dave Hamilton from the Athletics to the Chicago White Sox for Stan Bahnsen and Skip Pitlock at the non-waiver trade deadline on June 15, . During the 1975 season, he batted .307 with eight home runs and 49 runs batted in for the Triple A Denver Bears.

Chicago White Sox

An infielder in the minor leagues, Lemon played third base during his brief stint with the Chicago White Sox in . He entered spring training 1976 as the leading candidate for the third base job, but after failing to impress manager Paul Richards with his glove, was moved to the outfield. He made the transition seamlessly, as he made only three errors all season while logging a .992 fielding percentage in centerfield. He batted .246 with four home runs, 38 RBIs, and 46 runs scored.

He came into his own as both a hitter and centerfielder in 1977. He scored a career high 99 runs, while showing a dramatic increase in power, hitting fifteen more home runs than he had his rookie season. He also set an American League record with 524 total chances and 512 putouts in the outfield, a record that still stands.

With the White Sox in sixth place in the American League West, ahead only of the expansion Seattle Mariners, Lemon was selected as his team's lone representative at the 1978 All-Star Game. Though he did not receive an at-bat, he entered the game in left field in the eighth inning, and committed an error in the National League's four-run eighth. The White Sox finished the season in fifth, eventually passing the Oakland A's in the standings. Lemon went 2-for-5 on the second-to-last day of the season to bring his season batting average to .300.

In 1979, Lemon was again the sole White Sox player on the American League All-Star team. He entered the game in the second inning, and scored in the third after being hit by a Joaquín Andújar pitch. He ended the season with a .318 batting average, a career high. He also hit 44 doubles, tying the Milwaukee Brewers' Cecil Cooper for the American League season best total. Lemon recorded 411 putouts in 1979. That season was the first of four seasons that he led the league in times hit by pitch.

The White Sox finished near the bottom of the division standings during most of Lemon's tenure with the club. With the addition of free agent catcher Carlton Fisk and designated hitter Greg Luzinski, the team improved to 31–22 and finished in third in the first half of the strike shortened 1981 season. For his part, Lemon batted .299 with three home runs and 22 RBIs in the first half. Though his team finished in sixth place in the second half, his stats improved, as he batted .305 with six home runs and drove in 28. Following the season, Lemon was traded to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Steve Kemp.

Detroit Tigers

1982 and 1983 seasons

On November 27, 1981, the Detroit Tigers acquired Lemon in a trade that sent Steve Kemp to the Chicago White Sox.

In his first season with Detroit, Lemon shifted from his regular position in center field, starting 92 games in right field and 25 in center field. The 1982 Tigers compiled an 83–79 record and finished fourth in American League East (AL East). Lemon 's batting average dropped to .266, 38 points lower than he had averaged in the preceding four years. Lemon later noted that moving to right field also affected him: "Playing right field wasn't real difficult. I didn't want to play it, that was my problem. It affected me so much mentally. I wasn't happy."

Despite Lemon's 1982 performance, the Tigers signed Lemon to a five-year contract in November 1982. The contract paid Lemon an estimated $450,000 a year.

In 1983, Lemon became the Tigers' regular center fielder, starting 133 games at the position. With only three errors in 417 chances, he provided the club with solid defense in the middle of the outfield. It was the first of three consecutive seasons where he had more than 400 putouts. On July 24, 1983, he gained national attention for a leaping catch that deprived Rod Carew of a game-winning home run in the 12th inning. Lemon also developed power with a career-high 24 home runs in 1983, and he led the American League with a career-high 20 times being hit by pitch. However, his batting average fell to .255.

1984 season

In 1984, the Tigers opened with a 35–5 record, won the American League East by 15 games, and defeated the San Diego Padres in the 1984 World Series. Lemon played a key role on the 1984 championship team. Defensively, he started 135 games in center field and compiled a career-high .995 fielding percentage with only two errors in 438 chances. Lemon was also the starting center fielder for the American League at the 1984 All-Star game.

Reaching the post-season for the first time in his career, Lemon went hitless in thirteen at-bats in the Tigers' three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals in the 1984 American League Championship Series. He improved in the World Series, batting .294 with a run scored and a run batted in. He also had "a Willie Mays–style back-to-the-plate catch" on a Terry Kennedy drive to preserve the Tigers' lead in the seventh inning of Game 3.

1985–1989

In March 1985, the Tigers signed Lemon to a contract extension running through the 1991 season with a club option to extend through 1992. The extension was reported to be worth $4.5 million.

He remained the Tigers' starting center fielder for three more seasons, playing 144 games at the position in 1985, 124 games in 1986, and 145 games in 1987. In 1987, he hit at least 20 home runs and 30 doubles for the third time in his career. He also ranked among the league's leading center fielders with a .992 fielding percentage (second), 348 putouts (third), and a 2.70 range factor (fourth), and helped the 1987 Tigers win the AL East with a record of 98–64.

In 1988, the Tigers moved Lemon moved to right field to make room for speedy new acquisition Gary Pettis. He played 144 games in right field in 1988 and 111 games in 1989.

Polycythemia and retirement

In the spring of 1990, Lemon was diagnosed with polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder. During the 1990 season, he missed 47 games with multiple injuries and went through a divorce that affected his concentration. He failed to hit a home run between early May and late September and concluded the 1990 season with a career-low 378 at bats and only 32 RBIs.

Lemon returned to spring training in 1991, but he was injured for much of the training camp. He was waived by the Tigers on April 5, three days before opening day.

In August 1991, Lemon was hospitalized in the intensive care unit at the University of Florida Shands Hospital with a blood clot in his abdomen. He was discharged after almost four weeks of treatment.

In December 2001, he underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic to have his spleen removed.

Career statistics

Personal life, illness and death

Lemon was married to Valerie Jones. They had four children, Geneva (born c. 1972), Chester Jr. (born c. 1977), David (born 1981), and Marcus (born 1988). Marcus played minor league baseball from 2006 to 2017.

Lemon was divorced from his first wife in 1990. He married Gigi Partee in the early 1990s. They had a daughter, Brianna, born in 1998.

Lemon became a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses while playing in the minor leagues in the 1970s. He was introduced to the religion by Jerry Hairston Sr. while they were teammates in the Chicago White Sox organization. Due to his religious faith, Lemon declined to stand for "The Star-Spangled Banner", a point for which he was sometimes criticized. In a 1987 interview, Lemon explained:

I believe in God's kingdom. I acknowledge God's kingdom over earth. I give my allegiance to him and not to the flag. I am grateful to be in the United States, grateful to be able to live in the U.S. and have the opportunity to have my beliefs and go door to door to share them. But the national anthem is a ritual. You have to think about what's being said – rockets' red glare, bombs bursting in air? We do not believe in nor do we salute war.

In 1993, Lemon established the Chet Lemon Baseball School in Lake Mary, Florida. He was also the head coach for Eustis High School, where he led the Panthers to the 2003 state championship.

In August 2024, ahead of the Detroit Tigers 40th Anniversary World Series Championship reunion in Detroit, Lemon's family revealed that polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder, had led to a series of strokes, which left him unable to speak or walk.

Lemon died at his home in Apopka, Florida, on May 8, 2025, at the age of 70.

References

References

1. "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Putouts as OF". Sports Reference LLC.
2. (August 16, 1987). "Chet: Still fighting the bad raps". Detroit Free Press.
3. (September 24, 1984). "The roar of 84: Chet Lemon". Detroit Free Press.
4. (November 30, 1984). "Lemon's pal, Ricky, met a foe he couldn't block". Detroit Free Press.
5. [https://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/17/archives/as-obtain-bahnsen-on-deadline.html "A's Obtain Bahnsen on Deadline," ''The New York Times'', Tuesday, June 17, 1975.] Retrieved October 26, 2020.
6. "Chet Lemon Minor League Statistics". Sports Reference LLC.
7. (March 27, 1976). "Chisox to be Nearly All New This Season". The Rochester Sentinel.
8. "Outfielder Putout Records by Baseball Almanac".
9. (July 11, 1978). "1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game". Baseball-Reference.com.
10. (September 30, 1978). "Chicago White Sox 6, California Angels 5". Baseball-Reference.com.
11. (July 17, 1979). "1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game". Baseball-Reference.com.
12. (November 28, 1981). "Lemon In, Kemp Out". The Bryan Times.
13. (November 28, 1981). "Right-handed bat pleases Sparky". Detroit Free Press.
14. "Chet Lemon Stats". [[Sports Reference.
15. (November 5, 1982). "Tigers sign all 4 potential free agents". Detroit Free Press.
16. (February 27, 1984). "Lemon's bat takes backseat to defense". Detroit Free Press.
17. (March 20, 1984). "Lemon's catch was a sweet one". The Tampa Tribune.
18. (July 10, 1984). "1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game". Baseball-Reference.com.
19. (October 2–5, 1984). "1984 American League Championship Series". Baseball-Reference.com.
20. (October 9–14, 1984). "1984 World Series". Baseball-Reference.com.
21. (October 13, 1984). "Lemon is Tigers' radar-equipped cheetah". Asbury Park Press (reprinted from Los Angeles Times).
22. (October 13, 1984). "Big catch stifles Padres". Detroit Free Press.
23. (March 4, 1985). "Lemon signs 5-year contract extension". Detroit Free Press.
24. (December 21, 2001). "Lemon has spleen removed". The Lake Sentinel.
25. (March 6, 1991). "Don't count Lemon out just yet". Battle Creek Enquirer.
26. (April 6, 1991). "Tigers waive Lemon". Detroit Free Press.
27. (August 29, 1991). "Ex-Tiger Lemon hospitalized with rare blood disorder". Tampa Bay Times.
28. (August 29, 1991). "Ex-Tiger Chet Lemon Improving". Ludington Daily News.
29. (September 8, 1991). "Lemon goes home 'happy' to be alive". Battle Creek Enquirer.
30. (July 19, 1998). "Lemon high on potential of his son". The Lake Sentinel.
31. "Marcus Lemon". Sports Reference LLC.
32. Fraley, Gerry. "Failed Rangers' draft choice lands with Detroit". Dallas Morning News.
33. (March 2, 1991). "Lemon centers on improvement". Detroit Free Press.
34. (July 19, 1998). "All Star coaches next generation". The Lake Sentinel.
35. Manzullo, Brian. (August 29, 2016). "Remember: Ex-Tigers Whitaker, Lemon didn't stand for anthem, either". [[Detroit Free Press]].
36. (January 31, 1993). "Ex-Tiger Lemon's in swing of things". Detroit Free Press.
37. "Alumni".
38. (July 9, 2003). "Triumphing over death every day: Nearly killed by rare blood disease, former All-Star Chet Lemon has bounced back to coach Eustis to state title". Tampa Bay Times.
39. Seidel, Jeff. "Tigers' Chet Lemon can't walk or talk, but family hopes Detroit trip could spark something".
40. (May 8, 2025). "Former Tigers outfielder Chet Lemon dies at age 70". The Detroit News.
41. [https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2025/05/08/chet-lemon-death-age-tigers-1984/83513931007/ Chet Lemon, 1984 Detroit Tigers hero, dies at age 70]