Chet Lemon

"Chet Lemon" is also a pseudonym of professional wrestlerKevin Nash.

Chet Lemon
Lemon in 2012
Center fielder/Right fielder
Born:(1955-02-12)February 12, 1955 Jackson, Mississippi,U.S.
Batted:Right Threw:Right
MLB debut
September 9, 1975, for the Chicago White Sox
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1990, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.273
Home runs	215
Runs batted in	884
Teams
Chicago White Sox(1975–1981) Detroit Tigers(1982–1990)
Career highlights and awards
3×All-Star(1978,1979,1984) World Serieschampion (1984)

Chester Earl Lemon(born February 12, 1955) is a formeroutfielder.He played sixteen seasons inMajor League Baseball,beginning with theChicago White Soxin 1975, where he played for six years. He was then traded to theDetroit Tigers,where he played the rest of his career from 1982 to 1990.

A native ofJackson, Mississippi,he grew up inLos Angeles.He was drafted in the first round of the1972 Major League Baseball draft.He was selected as anAmerican LeagueAll-Starin 1978, 1979, and 1984 and was the startingcenter fielderfor the1984 Detroit Tigersteam that won the1984 World Series.Lemon was known as one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball from 1977 to 1987. In 1977, he led the American League with 512 outfieldputouts,the fourth highest single-season tally in major league history and the highest tally since 1951.He also totaled over 400 outfield putouts in four other years (1979 and 1983-1985). He led the American League with 44doublesin 1979 and also led the league in timeshit by pitch(HBP) four times, including a career-high 20 HBP in 1983. After his career ended, he became a baseball instructor and coach.

Early years

Lemon was born in 1955 inJackson, Mississippi,and moved toLos Angeleswhen he was six months old.He attendedJohn C. Fremont High School,where he played in the backfield withRicky Bellon the football team and also starred on the baseball team.

Professional baseball

Minor leagues

Lemon was drafted in the first round (22nd overall) of the1972 Major League Baseball draftby theOakland Athletics.He began his professional baseball career in 1972 playing for the Athletics' minor league team inCoos Bay-North Bend, Oregon.After 38 games in Oregon, he moved up to theBurlington Beesin theMidwest League.He remained with Burlington through the 1973 and 1974 seasons.

Lemon was traded along withDave Hamiltonfrom the Athletics to theChicago White SoxforStan BahnsenandSkip Pitlockat the non-waiver trade deadline on June 15,1975.During the 1975 season, he batted.307 with eighthome runsand 49runs batted infor the Triple ADenver Bearsto earn a call up to the White Sox that September.

Chicago White Sox

Aninfielderin the minor leagues, Lemon played third base during his brief stint with the Chicago White Sox in1975.He enteredspring training1976 as the leading candidate for the third base job, but after failing to impress managerPaul Richardswith his glove, was moved to theoutfield.He made the transition seamlessly, as he made only threeerrorsall season while logging a.992fielding percentageincenterfield.He batted.246 with four home runs, 38 RBIs and 46runs scoredto earn Topps All-Star Rookie Teams honors.

He came into his own as both a hitter andcenterfielderin 1977. He scored a career high 99runs,while showing a dramatic increase in power, hitting fifteen more home runs than he had his rookie season. He also set anAmerican Leaguerecord with 524total chancesand 512putoutsin the outfield, a record that still stands.

With the White Sox in sixth place in theAmerican League West,ahead only of the expansionSeattle Mariners,Lemon was selected as his team's lone representative at the1978 All-Star Game.Though he did not receive anat-bat,he entered the game in left field in the eighth inning, and committed an error in theNational 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 seasonbatting averageto.300.He sat out his team's final game.

In 1979, Lemon was again the sole White Sox player on theAmerican League All-Star team.He entered the game in the second inning, and scored in the third after being hit by aJoaquín Andújarpitch.He ended the season with a.318 batting average and 86 RBIs, both career highs. He also hit 44doubles,tying theMilwaukee Brewers'Cecil Cooperfor the American League season best total.

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 agentcatcherCarlton Fiskanddesignated hitterGreg Luzinski,the team improved to 31-22 and finished in third in the first half of thestrikeshortened 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 theDetroit Tigersfor outfielderSteve Kemp.

Detroit Tigers

1982 and 1983 seasons

On November 27, 1981, theDetroit Tigersacquired Lemon in a trade that sent Steve Kemp to theChicago 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.The1982 Tigerscompiled 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.Newspaper columnistMike Downeyopined that uprooting Lemon and his young family, along with a torn rib cage, damaged ligaments in his left wrist, and several pulled muscles, had resulted in the worst season in his major league career.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.ManagerSparky Andersonin July 1983 called Lemon "the best defensive center fielder I've been around."On July 24, 1983, he gained national attention for a leaping catch that deprivedRod Carewof 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 beinghit by pitch.However, his batting average fell to.255.His overall contributions helped the 1983 Tigers improve to 92-70, good for second in AL East.

1984 season

In 1984, the Tigers opened with a 35–5 record, won theAmerican League Eastby 15 games, and defeated theSan Diego Padresin the1984 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.Offensively, his batting average jumped more than 30 points to.287, and his 60 extra-base hits tiedKirk Gibsonfor the most on the team. His 20 home runs and 76 RBIs ranked third on the 1984 Tigers team.Lemon was also the starting center fielder for the American League at the1984 All-Star game.

Reaching the post-season for the first time in his career, Lemon went hitless in thirteenat-batsin the Tigers' three-game sweep of theKansas City Royalsin the1984 American League Championship Series.He improved in the World Series, batting.294 with arun scoredand a run batted in.He also had "a Willie Mays–style back-to-the-plate catch" on aTerry Kennedydrive 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 toright fieldto make room for speedy new acquisitionGary Pettis.He played 144 games in right field in 1988 and 111 games in 1989.

Polycthemia and retirement

In the spring of 1990, Lemon was diagnosed withpolycythemia 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 theUniversity of Florida Shands Hospitalwith a blood clot in his abdomen.He was discharged after almost four weeks of treatment.

In December 2001, he underwent surgery at theMayo Clinicto have his spleen removed.

Career statistics

G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	HBP	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	Fld%
1988	7872	6868	973	1875	396	61	215	884	58	749	151	1024	.273	.355	.442	.984

Lemon recorded 400 or more outfield putouts in five different seasons, an American League record. He also had a unique ability to behit by a pitch;in the 1980s, he was second only toDon Baylorby getting plunked 108 times. He also had a penchant for diving headfirst into first base.

Personal life and health issues

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).David and Marcus both followed their father into baseball.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 theJehovah's Witnesseswhile playing in the minor leagues in the 1970s. He was introduced to the religion byJerry Hairston Sr.while they were teammates in theChicago White Soxorganization. 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 inLake Mary, Florida.He coached two successful AAU teams, Chet Lemon's Juice (18 and under) and Chet Lemon's Juice II (14 and under) inEustis, Florida.Several players who played on those teams eventually became MLB players, most notably withZack GreinkeandPrince Fielder.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 thatPolycythemia vera,a rare blood disorder, has led to a series of strokes, which has left him unable to speak or walk.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders

External links

• Career statistics and player information fromMLB,orESPN,orBaseball Reference,orFangraphs,orBaseball Reference (Minors)