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.