1955
Born February 12, 1955
Jackson, MS, USA
Chet Lemon Marquee
Chet Lemon played center field for the Chicago White Sox for seven seasons before a trade to Detroit in 1982, where he stayed for the rest of his career through 1990.
He batted .273 with 1,875 hits over 1,988 games, hitting 215 home runs and driving in 884 runs, a durable sixteen-season career split almost evenly between two clubs.
His three All-Star selections came in 1978, 1979 and 1984, spanning both stops of his career, and he was known throughout for his defense in center as much as his bat.
Jackson, Mississippi is where he was born, on February 12, 1955; he batted and threw right-handed, and died on May 8, 2025, in the most recent season this record covers.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 3 | 1978, 1979, 1984 |
| Player of the Week | 2 | 1979, 1988 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | CHW | 9 | 35 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | .257 |
| 1976 | CHW | 132 | 451 | 46 | 111 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 38 | 28 | 65 | 13 | .246 |
| 1977 | CHW | 150 | 553 | 99 | 151 | 38 | 4 | 19 | 67 | 52 | 88 | 8 | .273 |
| 1978 | CHW | 105 | 357 | 51 | 107 | 24 | 6 | 13 | 55 | 39 | 46 | 5 | .300 |
| 1979 | CHW | 148 | 556 | 79 | 177 | 44 | 2 | 17 | 86 | 56 | 68 | 7 | .318 |
| 1980 | CHW | 147 | 514 | 76 | 150 | 32 | 6 | 11 | 51 | 71 | 56 | 6 | .292 |
| 1981 | CHW | 94 | 328 | 50 | 99 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 50 | 33 | 48 | 5 | .302 |
| 1982 | DET | 125 | 436 | 75 | 116 | 20 | 1 | 19 | 52 | 56 | 69 | 1 | .266 |
| 1983 | DET | 145 | 491 | 78 | 125 | 21 | 5 | 24 | 69 | 54 | 70 | 0 | .255 |
| 1984 | DET | 141 | 509 | 77 | 146 | 34 | 6 | 20 | 76 | 51 | 83 | 5 | .287 |
| 1985 | DET | 145 | 517 | 69 | 137 | 28 | 4 | 18 | 68 | 45 | 93 | 0 | .265 |
| 1986 | DET | 126 | 403 | 45 | 101 | 21 | 3 | 12 | 53 | 39 | 53 | 2 | .251 |
| 1987 | DET | 146 | 470 | 75 | 130 | 30 | 3 | 20 | 75 | 70 | 82 | 0 | .277 |
| 1988 | DET | 144 | 512 | 67 | 135 | 29 | 4 | 17 | 64 | 59 | 65 | 1 | .264 |
| 1989 | DET | 127 | 414 | 45 | 98 | 19 | 2 | 7 | 47 | 46 | 71 | 1 | .237 |
| 1990 | DET | 104 | 322 | 39 | 83 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 48 | 61 | 3 | .258 |
| Career | — | 1988 | 6868 | 973 | 1875 | 396 | 61 | 215 | 884 | 749 | 1024 | 58 | .273 |
On this day & linked events
2025
Died May 8, 2025
1975
Major-league debut: Chet Lemon
Chet Lemon made a major-league debut on September 9, 1975.
1990
Final major-league game: Chet Lemon
Chet Lemon played a final major-league game on October 3, 1990.