Chet Lemon, a product of Los Angeles Fremont High during its heyday who became a three-time All-Star outfielder and a World Series champion during a 16-year major league career, died Thursday at age 70 after a decades-long fight with a blood disorder.
Lemon was a first-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics at age 17 in 1972 and starred with the Chicago White Sox from 1975-81 and the Detroit Tigers from 1982-90, finishing with a .273 batting average, 215 homers, 396 doubles and 884 runs batted in.
He was the center fielder on the Tigers' 1984 World Series championship team — making a spectacular catch to cement a Game 3 victory over the San Diego Padres — and became a favorite of eventual Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson.
“After watching Chester the last several years, I have to say without a doubt, he’s the best center fielder I’ve seen in my 31 years in the game,” Anderson said in 1984. “Chester is a Pete Rose type. He never complains. He’s always there and he plays each game as if it were the seventh game of the World Series. Chester doesn’t know any other way to play and that’s his greatest asset.
"Combine all that with his little-boy desire to want to play every day and it is no wonder Chester has all those fans who sit in the bleachers in the palm of his hand.”
The Tigers and White Sox both posted condolences on X.
“The Detroit Tigers join all of baseball in mourning the passing of Chet Lemon,” the Tigers statement read. “While he was a World Series champion and All-Star on the field, perhaps his biggest impact came off of it. That includes creating the Chet Lemon Foundation and dedicating much of his post-playing career to youth baseball development. Our thoughts are with Chet’s family, friends and all those he coached, mentored and inspired.”
Former Tigers catcher Lance Parrish was one of several former teammates who remembered Lemon fondly.
“Chet was the kindest of men and always had that great smile on his face,” Parrish said in a statement. “He was also a fierce competitor on the baseball field and a great teammate. I loved him like a brother.”
Chester Earl Lemon was born in Jackson, Miss., on Feb. 12, 1955. He was the oldest of Ralph and Gloria Lemon's four children and the family moved to Los Angeles when Chet was a child. Fremont High was a City Section power that produced a string of major leaguers including Bob Watson, Willie Crawford, Bobby Tolan and George Hendrick under legendary coach Phil Pote.
Pote had become a scout with the A's by the time Lemon graduated from Fremont and they made him the 22nd overall pick in the June draft. Lemon hit well in the minor leagues but was a poor fielder at third base and shortstop. The A's traded him to the White Sox in 1975 while he was in triple-A.
"I was ready in 1975 but had nowhere to play," Lemon told White Sox Interactive. "I was an infielder and Oakland had guys like Sal Bando and Bert Campaneris in those positions. I had heard a lot of talk about teams being interested in me. When I found out about the deal, I thought it was a great move. I was finally going to get my chance — and in a big market as well.”
The White Sox moved Lemon to center field and he flourished, cracking the starting lineup in 1976, setting a still-standing AL record with 512 putouts in center field in 1977 and making the American League All-Star team in 1978 and '79.
“It was a great feeling to be recognized as one of the best players,” Lemon said of his All-Star selections. “What also was nice was getting to know the other guys. You realize that they are all just like you."
Lemon's best season came in 1979 when he led the AL with 44 doubles and set career highs in batting average (.318) and RBIs (86). He also led the league in a less glamorous category: hit by pitches. It was the first of four seasons he was hit more than any other batter in the league, and he was plunked 151 times during his career, ranking 25th on the all-time list.
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Why? He crowded the plate.
"I don’t think I realized I was that close to the plate,” he said. “You know, I actually didn’t mind being pitched inside. I felt I could always turn on pitches. If you look at my hits, like all those doubles, I think you’ll find that I went down the left-field line in most of them."
Lemon was traded to Detroit after the 1981 season for outfielder Steve Kemp. Three years later, Lemon became an All-Star for the third time and helped the Tigers win the World Series for the first time since 1968.
“Chet Lemon is the best center fielder in the game today,” Anderson said in 1984. “He isn’t the fastest, but he’s the best at it because he works harder at it than anyone else.”
Lemon continued to produce for the Tigers until 1991 when they released him at the end of spring training. Lemon noticed that it was taking him longer to recover from injuries and went to a doctor.
"I remember saying to myself, ‘Am I getting old?’ because I always took care of myself,” he said. “In spring training 1991 the Tigers discovered that I had too many red blood cells in my body. The Tigers thought the numbers they got were wrong. My stomach was always hurting. I thought maybe I had an ulcer or it was just stress. The doctors couldn’t find out what was causing it. They finally did an ultrasound and discovered that I had tiny blood clots in my portal veins.
"About 30 minutes after they discovered that, I was rushed to intensive care, hooked up to machines and given blood thinners. Not only did I have blood clots but I had too much blood and it was too thick, like a slush."
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Lemon nearly died from his blood disorder, polycythemia vera, spending three months in the hospital.
“Just trying to turn over in bed was agonizing," he said. "I was being fed intravenously. I did not want to eat, I couldn’t eat. I lost about 60 or 70 pounds and was down to about 130 pounds.”
Lemon was a Jehovah's Witness and declined to receive blood transfusions. Surgery was ruled out because he was on blood thinners to prevent clots. Still, Lemon recovered and eventually coached high school baseball near his home in Apopka, Fla.
He started the Chet Lemon School of Baseball in Lake Mary, Fla. in 1993, became president of the Amateur Athletic Union district near Orlando, and from 2001 to 2008 coached at Eustis High School, leading the team to a state title in 2003.
Future MLB stars Prince Fielder, Zack Greinke, Casey Kotchman, and brothers Rickie and Jemile Weeks trained under Lemon, who also established the Chet Lemon Foundation, which provides support for people affected by strokes and aphasia.
“He was a coach, a friend and a mentor who will be highly missed by many in our Central Florida baseball community,” Central Florida coach Rich Wallace told the Orlando Sentinel.
Lemon suffered strokes in recent years that left him unable to walk or talk. He attended the 40th anniversary of the Tigers' World Series title in Detroit in September 2024. He was in a wheelchair but enjoyed the reunion.
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"Chet was a cherished teammate and friend," former teammate and Hall of Famer Alan Trammell said in a statement. "I'm so thankful for the time we spent together last summer when the 1984 team had its 40th reunion at Comerica Park. Today is a sad day for us. He will be dearly missed."
Lemon is survived by his wife of more than 30 years, Gigi, and their daughter, Brianna. Lemon's first wife was Valerie Jones, with whom he had four children: Geneva, Chester Jr., David, and Marcus, who played 11 years of minor league baseball.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
