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| Jim Lemon | |
|---|---|
 Lemon in 1959 | |
| Outfielder /Manager | |
| Born:(1928-03-23)March 23, 1928 Covington, Virginia, U.S. | |
| Died: May 14, 2006(2006-05-14) (aged 78) Brandon, Mississippi, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 20, 1950, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 24, 1963, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .262 |
| Home runs | 164 |
| Runs batted in | 529 |
| Managerial record | 65–96 |
| Winning % | .404 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
James Robert Lemon (March 23, 1928 – May 14, 2006) was an Americanoutfielder,manager andcoach inMajor League Baseball. A powerfulright andleft fielder, right-handed hitting and throwing Lemon teamed withfirst baseman fellow sluggerRoy Sievers and later with future baseball Hall of Famehome run championHarmon Killebrew and power-hitting outfielderBob Allison to form the most formidable homer-hitting tandems in the 60-year history of the original 20th centuryWashington Senators major league franchise.
Lemon was born inCovington, Virginia. The lanky 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)/200 lb (91 kg) prospect was known as "Bob" before he signed with theCleveland Indians in 1948. He became known as "Jim Lemon" to avoid confusion with Indians' futureHall of FamepitcherBob Lemon, but he never won a regular job with Cleveland. Instead, Lemon was a "late-bloomer" who required several trips to theminor leagues before finally winning a regular berth at the age of 28 with the 1956Washington Senators.
A free-swinger who three times led theAmerican League instrikeouts, Lemon and his teammates benefitted from new Washington ownerCalvin Griffith's decision to move the left field fences closer to home plate in the Senators' cavernousGriffith Stadium. Lemon hit 27 homers in 1956, also leading the league intriples, then followed with 26 (1958), 33 (1959) and 38 (1960). He twice compiled over 100runs batted in and became a favorite of thenU.S. PresidentDwight Eisenhower after the President attended Lemon's 3-home-run performance at Griffith Stadium in 1956.[1][2]
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 toMinneapolis–Saint Paul after the 1960 campaign, where they became theMinnesota Twins (and an expansion team, the newWashington Senators took their place in Washington, D.C.) But Lemon had left his stroke behind, and after only 14 homers in Minnesota in 1961 and an injury-ruined 1962, his career wound down quickly. His last year as a player, 1963, was divided among the Twins,Philadelphia Phillies andChicago White Sox. All told, he appeared in 1,010 games over all or parts of 12 major league seasons, posting a careerbatted of .262 and hitting 164 home runs.
Lemon remained in the game as a coach for the Twins, serving two different terms (1965–67; 1981–84) in that role, including with the1965 pennant-winning team. In between, in1968, he returned to Washington as manager of theexpansion Senators, but his popularity as a player did not translate to a successful managerial record. His club finished last in the ten-team American League, winning 65 games and losing 96 (.404)—in spite of fearsome, right-handed home run championFrank Howard (acquired in trade from theLos Angeles Dodgers in 1965). Lemon was fired after only one season, replaced byTed Williams (who fared little better).
As a native son, and to honor his batting achievements with the original Senators, Lemon was elected to theVirginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
Jim Lemon died fromcancer at the age of 78 at hisBrandon, Mississippi, home.[3]
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