Leron Lee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leron Lee |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: March 4, 1948 Bakersfield, California, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: September 5, 1969, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| NPB: April 2, 1977, for the Lotte Orions | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: October 3, 1976, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| NPB: October 20, 1987, for the Lotte Orions | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .250 | ||
| Home runs | 31 | ||
| Runs batted in | 152 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .320 | ||
| Home runs | 283 | ||
| Runs batted in | 912 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Leron Lee (born March 4, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player. He was a talented left fielder who played for many years. Leron played eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States. He was part of teams like the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, and San Diego Padres. After his time in the MLB, he moved to Japan. There, he played eleven seasons for the Lotte Orions in Nippon Professional Baseball. In Japan, he was chosen as an All-Star four times. He also won the Best Nine Award four times, which honors the best players at each position. Leron's nephew, Derrek Lee, also became a famous player in the MLB.
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Leron Lee's Early Life and MLB Career
Leron Lee was the oldest of six children. He grew up in Sacramento and went to Grant High School. He was a great athlete and received 36 offers to play football in college! However, Leron chose to play professional baseball instead.
Starting with the St. Louis Cardinals
Leron began his baseball journey at 18 years old. He was the very first player picked by the St. Louis Cardinals in the draft in September 1969. This happened after he had a fantastic season in Tulsa, where he hit for a .303 batting average. His first hit in the major leagues was against a pitcher named Jerry Robertson. In 1970, Leron had ten games where he got more than one hit. In two of those games, he got three hits! He also hit a home run that broke a tie against the Dodgers. His very first major league home run was off Ferguson Jenkins, who later became a Hall of Famer.
Playing for the San Diego Padres
On June 11, 1971, after three seasons with the Cardinals, Leron was traded to the San Diego Padres. With the Padres, he had nineteen games where he got multiple hits. One game against Cincinnati was very memorable. He got three hits, including two doubles. On July 25, 1971, Leron hit a home run off Bob Johnson. This helped his team win 2-1 against Pittsburgh in the first game of a double-header. For that season, Leron had a .273 batting average. The next year, 1972, was even better. Leron batted .300 and had an amazing thirty-four multi-hit games! Six of those games were three-hit games.
On July 4, 1972, Leron Lee did something special. He broke up a no-hitter game by Tom Seaver of the New York Mets. A no-hitter is when a pitcher doesn't allow any hits during a whole game. Leron got a single hit with only one out left in the ninth inning, stopping Seaver's no-hit attempt.
Time with the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers
After three seasons with the Padres, Leron was bought by the Cleveland Indians. There, he had thirteen games with multiple hits. In one game against the Royals, he hit a home run and then a grand slam. A grand slam is a home run hit when all three bases are loaded with runners. This means he drove in all five runs for a 5-2 victory!
Later, Leron signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent. He played for them for two seasons. After that, he decided to end his major league career in the U.S. to play baseball in Japan.
Leron Lee's Japanese Baseball Career
After his time in Major League Baseball, Leron Lee moved to Japan. He played for the Lotte Orions from 1977 to 1987. For many years, until early 2018, he held the Japanese record for the highest career batting average among players with more than 4,000 at bats. Another player, Norichika Aoki, took over this record after returning from the MLB.
In his first season in Japan, Leron led the league in both home runs and runs batted in (RBIs). He also won the batting title in 1980, meaning he had the highest batting average in the league. In 1978, he invited his younger brother, Leon Lee, to play in Japan as well. Leon Lee is the father of former MLB player Derrek Lee. The two brothers became a very strong hitting duo for the Orions.
Before Leron Lee arrived, most foreign players in Japan were older and their careers were ending. Leron changed how people in Japan viewed foreign players. He played in Japan during his best years, which raised the standard for all foreign players who came after him.
Coaching Career
After retiring from playing baseball in Japan, Leron Lee became a coach. In 1989, he was the batting coach for the Oakland Athletics. That year, the Athletics won the World Series, which is a huge championship in baseball! More recently, he has worked with the Cincinnati Reds. He advises them on batting and helps scout new players.
