Jim Lemon

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#c6011f
bgcolor2=#072764
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white


name=Jim Lemon
position=Outfielder
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=March 23 1928
city-state|Covington|Virginia
deathdate=death date and age|2006|5|14|1928|3|23
city-state|Brandon|Mississippi
debutdate=August 20
debutyear=1950
debutteam=Cleveland Indians
finaldate=September 24
finalyear=1963
finalteam=Chicago White Sox
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.262
stat2label=Home Runs
stat2value=164
stat3label=RBI
stat3value=529
teams=
*Cleveland Indians (by|1950, by|1953)
*Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins (by|1954-by|1963)
*Philadelphia Phillies (by|1963)
*Chicago White Sox (by|1963)
highlights=
*All star in 1960
*Led AL in triples in 1956 with 11

James Robert Lemon (March 23 1928 – May 14 2006) was an American right and left fielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A powerful, right-handed hitting and throwing outfielder, Lemon teamed with first baseman Roy Sievers (and later with slugger Harmon Killebrew and outfielder Bob Allison) to form the most formidable home run-hitting tandem in the 60-year history of the first Washington Senators franchise.

Playing career

Born in Covington, Virginia, Lemon signed originally with the Cleveland Indians, but he never won a regular job with Cleveland; indeed, he was a "late-bloomer" who required several trips to the minor leagues before finally winning a regular berth with the by|1956 Senators at the age of 28. A free-swinger who three times led the American League in striking out, Lemon and his teammates benefitted from new Washington owner Calvin Griffith's decision to move the left field fences closer to home plate in the Senators' cavernous ballpark, Griffith Stadium. Lemon smashed 27 homers in 1956, also leading the league in triples, then followed with 26 (by|1958), 33 (by|1959) and 38 (by|1960). He twice compiled over 100 runs batted in and became a favorite of U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower.

However, the home run exploits of Lemon and his teammates were more than offset by poor pitching, and after multiple second-division finishes in the AL, Griffith moved the Senators to Minneapolis-St. Paul after the 1960 campaign to become the Minnesota Twins. But Lemon left his stroke behind in Washington, and after only 14 homers in Minnesota in by|1961 and an injury-ruined by|1962, his career wound down quickly. His last year as a player, by|1963, was divided among the Twins, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox. All told, he appeared in 1,010 games over all or parts of 12 major league seasons and batted .262 with 164 home runs.

Coach and manager

Lemon remained in the game as a coach for the Twins, serving two different terms in that role including the by|1965 pennant-winning team. In between, in by|1968, he returned to Washington as manager of the expansion Senators, but his popularity as a player did not translate to a successful managerial record. His club finished last in the league, winning 65 games and losing 96 (.404) - but it did feature a fearsome, right-handed power-hitter: Frank Howard. Lemon was fired after only one season. As a native son, and to honor his batting achievements with the original Senators, he was elected to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

Jim Lemon died from cancer at the age of 78 in Brandon, Mississippi.

ee also

* Top 500 home run hitters of all time
* Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game
* Chicago White Sox all-time roster
* List of Major League Baseball triples champions

External links

*baseball-reference|id=l/lemonji01
* [http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5609484 Fox Sports "Lemon dies of cancer at 78" 16 May 2006]

References

*"The Baseball Encyclopedia," tenth edition. New York: MacMillan USA, 1996.