Donald Edward Lee (born February 26, 1934) is a former
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
who played for the
Detroit Tigers (1957–58),
Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins (1959–62),
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
(1962–65),
Houston Astros (1965–66) and
Chicago Cubs (1966). Lee batted and threw right-handed. He is the son of former major league pitcher
Thornton Lee.
Lee attended
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
. Signed by the Tigers as an amateur
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 1956, he debuted in the 1957 season. After two years with the Tigers, he was sent to the Senators. In 1962 Lee went to the Angels. He finished his career with the Cubs in 1966. Lee was a journeyman pitcher who divided his playing time jumping between the rotation and the bullpen. His most productive season came in 1962 with Minnesota and the Angels, when he compiled career-highs in victories (11),
strikeouts (102),
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
s (2) and
innings pitched ().
On September 2, 1960, Lee surrendered a
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
to
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1 ...
in the first game of a doubleheader between the Senators and
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
. 21 years before, in his rookie season, Williams hit a home run off Don's father
Thornton Lee, then with the Chicago White Sox, on September 17, 1939. With this feat, Williams became the only player in major league history to hit home runs against a father and son.
In a nine-season career, Lee posted a 40–44 record with 467 strikeouts, a 3.61
ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Comp ...
, 11
saves, and innings in 244
games played (97 as a
starter).
See also
*
List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
Dozens of father-and-son combinations have played or managed in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The first was Jack Doscher, son of Herm Doscher, who made his debut in 1903.
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. became the first father-and-son duo ...
References
External links
Don Lee MLBBaseballbiography.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Don
1934 births
Living people
All-American college baseball players
Arizona Wildcats baseball players
Augusta Tigers players
Baseball players from Arizona
Birmingham Barons players
Boston Red Sox scouts
Chicago Cubs players
Charleston Senators players
Detroit Tigers players
Houston Astros players
Los Angeles Angels players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Minnesota Twins players
New York Yankees scouts
Oklahoma City 89ers players
People from Globe, Arizona
Phoenix Giants players
San Diego Padres scouts
Tacoma Cubs players
Washington Senators (1901–1960) players
Williston Oilers players
Arizona Wildcats baseball coaches