Chet Lemon, Three-Time All-Star for White Sox and Tigers, Dies at 70

The outfielder was a steady presence over the course of a 16-year career.

Chet Lemon talks to ex-Tigers teammate Alan Trammell before a Detroit game in 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former MLB outfielder and designated hitter Chet Lemon, a three-time All-Star for two teams from 1975 to '90, died Thursday in Apopka, Fla. He was 70.

No cause of death was immediately given. Lemon suffered from a rare blood disorder called polycythemia vera, and had at least 13 strokes following his retirement.

A native of Jackson, Miss., Lemon was a steadying presence in the outfielder of the Chicago White Sox for seven years and the Detroit Tigers for nine. He made the American League All-Star team three times—1978, 1979 and 1984—and led the AL in doubles in '79.

In '84, he slashed .287/.357/.495 for a Tigers team that won the World Series.

Several of his teammates on that '84 Detroit team—among the most beloved in civic history—paid tribute upon Lemon's death.

"I’m so thankful for the time we spent together last summer," Hall of Fame shortstop Alan Trammell said in a statement, referencing the '84 Tigers' 40-year reunion. "Today is a sad day or us. He will be dearly missed."

---

More MLB on Sports Illustrated

feed