Bob Lemon

Robert Granville Lemon
Born: Sept. 22, 1920 in San Bernardino, Cal.
Died: Jan. 11, 2000 in Long Beach, Cal.
Debut: 1941 | Pos: P
H: 6-0 | W: 185 | B: L | T: R

>> Visit the Bob Lemon biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

When Bob Lemon debuted with the Cleveland Indians in 1941, he was a light-hitting position player. A switch to pitching, however, turned him into a Hall of Famer.

He was just 17 years old when he signed with the Cleveland Indians. He made his debut as a fielder and played in 10 games for Cleveland in 1941 and 1942.

Military service called in 1943 and he entered the Navy. He was playing on a Navy baseball team when injuries depleted the team's pitching staff. The manager converted Lemon to a starting pitcher and he was named to the All-Star team that season.

He returned to the Cleveland Indians in 1946 and was back in the outfield. His career might have been over, but another serviceman and baseball player, Birdie Tibbetts, filled Cleveland manager Lou Boudreau in about Lemon's pitching abilities.

As a pitcher, he had 7 seasons with 20 or more wins. In 1946, he was playing in the outfield when teammate Bob Feller threw a no-hitter. Two years later, Lemon threw one of his own.

As a batter, Lemon hit .232 in his career with 37 home runs and 147 RBI.

Following his career as a player, Lemon managed the Royals, White Sox and Yankees, In 1978, he was managing the White Sox when Bill Veeck offered Lemon to the Yankees in a trade for manager Billy Martin. The two teams managed to work out their deal by releasing the two managers.

Lemon led the Yankees to a World Series, but he was replaced the following season by Billy Martin. In 1981-82, Lemon was back with the Yankees.

In his eight seasons as a manager, Lemon posted a 430-403 record. In 1977, his Chicago White Sox finished 90-72.

Some of Lemon's quotes have also remained among the more colorful in baseball. Consider the following:

• "Baseball is a kid's game adults just screw up."

• "I had my bad days on the field, but I didn't take them home with me. I left them in a bar along the way."

In 1976, Lemon was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame.