Leon Lee facts for kids

Leon Lee was born on December 4, 1952. He is a former professional baseball player and manager from America. He is best known for his long career playing baseball in Japan. Leon played different positions like first base, third base, and catcher. He batted and threw with his right hand.

Leon Lee played for ten years in Japan's top baseball league, called Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Many people thought he was one of the best foreign players ever in the NPB. Later, he made history by becoming the first African-American manager in Japanese baseball. Leon is also the father of former MLB player Derrek Lee. His brother, Leron Lee, also played baseball. Leon and Leron even played on the same team, the Lotte Orions, for three seasons in Japan.

Leon Lee's Baseball Journey

Starting in American Baseball

Leon Lee began his professional baseball career in America. The St. Louis Cardinals picked him in the 1971 draft. This was in the ninth round. He spent seven years playing in the Cardinals' minor league system. However, he never played a game in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Playing Baseball in Japan

Leon's older brother, Leron Lee, was already playing baseball in Japan. Leron was a former American Major League player. He helped Leon move to Japan to play for the Lotte Orions. This team was part of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league.

Leon played five seasons with his brother on the Lotte Orions. In 1980, he had a great year. He hit 41 home runs and had 116 RBIs (runs batted in). His batting average was .340. This was the second-highest batting average in the Pacific League that year. Only his brother had a higher average.

Later, Leon was traded to the Yokohama Taiyo Whales. He played for them from 1983 to 1985. He finished his playing career in Japan with the Yakult Swallows. He played for the Swallows from 1986 to 1987. After that, he returned to the United States.

Scouting and Managing Teams

Leon's experience playing in Japan was very helpful. In 1998, he became a scout for the Chicago Cubs. He helped the Cubs find new players from the Pacific Rim area.

After the 2002 MLB season, Leon left the Cubs. He went back to Japan to work as a hitting coach. He joined the Orix BlueWave team for the 2003 NPB season. The manager of the BlueWave, Hiromichi Ishige, was fired in April. Leon Lee was then promoted to manager. This made him the first African-American manager in the history of Japanese baseball.

On May 17, 2003, Leon's BlueWave team played against the Nippon Ham Fighters. The Fighters were managed by Trey Hillman. This game was special because it was the first time in 28 years that two American managers faced each other in Japan. The BlueWave team was good at hitting. However, their pitchers struggled. The team finished in last place that season. They had 48 wins, 88 losses, and 4 ties. The club decided to hire a Japanese manager for the next season. Leon was offered the hitting coach position again, but he chose not to take it.

Sacramento Stealth Team

In 2016, Leon Lee became an owner of a baseball team. The team was called the Sacramento Stealth. It was part of a new college summer league called the Great West League.