It looks like Chet Lemon will make it to the '84 reunion tomorrow! That's the best news I've heard in a long time.
Growing up a Tigers fan, I have numerous good memories of Chet the Jet, as we called him.
First, the trade that brought him to Detroit before the '82 season for Steve Kemp was nothing short of larceny. Sparky Anderson played him in RF his first season, so convinced was Sparky to make Kirk Gibson into Mickey Mantle in CF.
On a close play at first after hitting an infield grounder, Chet would never fail to dive head-first into the bag. This never failed to elicit scorn from the Tigers' TV twosome, George Kell and Al Kaline. But to me, it showed his hustle.
Chet was a work-in-progress as a baserunner all through his career with Detroit. I don't think I've seen as many players get tagged out at third base or home as Chet. But again, he was always hustling.
He was a dangerous hitter who could hit for average or power. He always had a very serious look on his face as he studied the pitcher and took his timing cuts before the pitch.
But foremost, Chet was a glove man. With his incredible range, he was tailor-made to patrol the 440-ft deep CF at Tiger Stadium.
My most vivid memory of Chet was a game-saving catch he made vs the Angels in a day game I watched on TV from Anaheim on July 25, 1983. In the bottom of the 12th inning, with the Tigers clinging to a 1-run lead and one Angel on base with 2 out, Rod Carew came up and sent a long belt to CF. Chet tracked it, twisting and correcting but never losing it in the sun, scuttled back to the fence, whipped his glove arm over the fence, and brought in the game-saving catch.
Here's the game account:
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/07/25 ... 427953600/. I was hoping there was video somewhere.
God bless Chet Lemon, but also God bless his beautiful family, who shared his story so that others with his illness could be helped and their families supported.
Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2024 1:35 pm