Willie Horton (born William Wattison Horton, October 18, 1942) is a former left fielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. Over an eighteen-year career spanning six American League teams he was a four-time All-Star and won a World Championship with the 1968 Tigers. He hit 20 or more home runs seven times, and his 325 career home runs ranked sixth among AL right-handed hitters when he retired. He enjoyed his best season in 1968, finishing second in the AL with 36 homers, a .543 slugging average and 278 total bases. In the later years of his career he was twice named the AL's top designated hitter.

Early years

Horton is the youngest of 14 children of James Horton and his wife Lillian (Wattison) Horton. He was born in

Arno, Virginia Arno is an unincorporated community and coal town located in Wise County, Virginia, United States. Notable people * Willie Horton (baseball), former MLB player (Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue J ...

, a small community in the corporate limits of

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

, Virginia. He hit a home run at Tiger Stadium at 16 years old during an all-city high school game. After winning a city championship with Detroit Northwestern High School in 1959 he signed with the Tigers in 1961, playing for the Tigers' farm team, the Duluth Dukes, on the shores of Lake Superior.

Detroit Tigers

Horton made his debut with the

on September 10, 1963. He hit a pinch-hit home run off

Robin Roberts Robin Roberts may refer to: * Robin Roberts (newscaster) (born 1960), ''Good Morning America'' anchor and former ESPN anchor * Robin Roberts (baseball) (1926–2010), American baseball player * Rockin' Robin Roberts (1940–1967), singer See al ...

in his second

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

. He saw limited playing time in his first two years before his official rookie campaign in 1965, in which he finished second in the AL with 104 runs batted in (RBI) and third with 29 home runs. He was named to the All-Star team, and placed eighth in the MVP balloting. Becoming known for his bulging forearms and tremendous strength, he again reached 100 RBIs in the 1966 season. During the 1967 Detroit

12th Street riot The 1967 Detroit Riot, also known as the 12th Street Riot or Detroit Rebellion, was the bloodiest of the urban riots in the United States during the "Long, hot summer of 1967". Composed mainly of confrontations between Black residents and the De ...

, he tried bravely to restore peace. He stood in his Tiger uniform on a car in the middle of the chaos, pleading for calm. However, despite his impassioned pleas, the city burned for five more days.Schweitzer, Karen. "Where are they now – Willie Horton." Article at BaseballSavvy.com on May 25, 2005

/ref> Horton posted double-digit home run totals in 12 regular seasons from 1965 to 1976, and hit two home runs in a game on 30 occasions. He had a career-high 36 home runs in 1968, a pitcher's year in which Detroit won the 1968 World Series, World Series; he finished second in the AL to Frank Howard in homers, slugging and total bases. In a year in which the league batting average was .230 and

Carl Yastrzemski Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( ; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year Major League career with the Bost ...

won the batting title with a .301 mark, Horton's .285 average was good for fourth in the AL. He finished fourth in the MVP voting. Willie Horton 1975

He also batted .304 in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals that year. In order to combine Horton's offensive power with a good defense, manager Mayo Smith moved regular

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

Mickey Stanley to shortstop as a replacement for Ray Oyler, who was benched because of his paltry .135 batting average. He kept Al Kaline, a routine

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

winner, in

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

and put Jim Northrup in center field; the two had platooned in right field for much of the year. When the Tigers were safely ahead, Oyler would replace Stanley at shortstop, batting in Horton's lineup spot; Stanley returned to center field, and Northrup would move over to replace Horton in left field. In Game 2, Horton had a solo home run to give the Tigers an early 1–0 lead, and they won 8–1. While not considered a great defensive outfielder, he made a pivotal play in the fifth inning of Game 5. With the Cardinals leading the Series 3–1 and the game 3–2, Lou Brock doubled with one out. He tried to score on Julián Javier's single, but chose not to slide; Horton's throw reached catcher Bill Freehan on one bounce to beat Brock on a close play. Horton still lists the throw as the most memorable moment of his career. Detroit scored three runs in the seventh inning to win 5–3, and went on to win Games 6 and 7 as well; Horton had two runs and two RBI in the 13–1 blowout in Game 6, and two hits and a run in the final 4–1 victory. Horton was a four-time member of the AL All-Star team (1965, 1968, 1970 and 1973). On July 18, 1969, playing against the Cleveland Indians, he tied Boston Braves outfielder Earl Clark's record for most put outs in a nine inning game by a left fielder, nine, a record that has since been tied by Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox. He hit three home runs against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

on June 9, 1970. On April 14, 1974, he hit a popup which struck and killed a pigeon at Fenway Park. He was named the AL's Outstanding Designated Hitter in 1975 after hitting 25 home runs with 92 RBI. In 1970, in a game in Milwaukee against the Brewers, Horton saved fellow Tiger Al Kaline’s life, after Kaline collided with outfielder Jim Northrup. Horton rushed over and recognizing that Kaline was turning blue, pried open his team-mate's jaw and cleared his airway.

Texas Rangers

After being supplanted as left fielder by Steve Kemp and designated hitter by Rusty Staub, Horton was traded from the Tigers to the Texas Rangers for Steve Foucault on April 12, 1977. He again hit three home runs in a 7–3 win over the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

at Royals Stadium one month later on May 15. He spent 1978 playing for the Cleveland Indians,

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

and Toronto Blue Jays, traded there along with Phil Huffman from the Athletics to the Toronto Blue Jays for former batting champion and top DH Rico Carty on August 15, 1978. He played with the Seattle Mariners from 1979 to 1980.

Navegantes del Magallanes

In 1978, he joined the Venezuelan team Navegantes del Magallanes as a designated hitter and manager. In his first season with Magallanes, Horton earned the nickname "''El Brujo''" ("The Wizard"), taking the team from last place the previous season to first, winning the 1979 Caribbean Series championship with a 5–1 record.

Seattle Mariners

In 1979 with the Mariners he was again named the AL's Outstanding Designated Hitter after hitting .279 with 29 HR and a career-high 106 RBI, and he received The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award as well. On June 5, against the Tigers against John Hiller, he hit what seemed to be his 300th career home run, but it struck a speaker hanging from the roof of the

Kingdome The Kingdome (officially the King County Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Industrial District, Seattle, Industrial District (later SoDo, Seattle, SoDo) neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. O ...

and bounced onto the field for a single; he would collect number 300 the next day against Jack Morris. His Mariners record of 106 RBI was broken by Alvin Davis in 1984, his marks of 180

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and 296 total bases were broken by

Phil Bradley Philip Poole Bradley (born March 11, 1959), is an American former professional baseball outfielder / designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the American League (AL) Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago White S ...

in 1985, and his record of 29 home runs was broken by Gorman Thomas in 1985. His record of 646 at bats was broken by Alex Rodriguez in 1998; Horton remains one of only four Mariners to have played the full 162 games in a season. He played his final major league game on October 5, 1980. He was traded back to the Rangers from the Mariners along with Rick Honeycutt, Leon Roberts, Mario Mendoza and Larry Cox for Richie Zisk, Jerry Don Gleaton, Rick Auerbach, Ken Clay,

Brian Allard Brian Marshall Allard (born January 3, 1958) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Texas Rangers (-) and Seattle Mariners (). His fastball was 90-95 mph. He also threw a curveball, slider, and changeup. He lives in Was ...

and minor-league right-handed pitcher Steve Finch in an 11-player blockbuster deal on December 18, 1980. Horton played two more years in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

and another season in Mexican baseball.

Retirement

In an 18-season career, Horton posted a .273 batting average and .457 slugging average with 1993 hits, 284 doubles, 1,163 RBIs, 873 runs and 20

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s in 2028

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

. His 325 home runs in the AL placed him behind only Harmon Killebrew (573), Jimmie Foxx (524), teammate Al Kaline (399),

Rocky Colavito Rocco Domenico "Rocky" Colavito Jr. (born August 10, 1933) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1955 to 1968, most prominently as a me ...

(371) and Joe DiMaggio (361) among right-handed hitters. Among his baseball superstitions was his use of the same batting helmet throughout his career; he repainted it when he changed teams.Purdy, Dennis (2005)
''The Team-By-Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball''
New York: Workman Publishing Company. p. 420. . After retiring, he coached for the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. On July 15, 2000 Horton became just the sixth former player given the ultimate honor by the Detroit Tigers; a statue of Horton was placed in Comerica Park and his number 23 was retired, joining a select group that includes former Tigers players Ty Cobb (who played before uniforms had numbers), Charlie Gehringer (number 2), Hank Greenberg (number 5), Al Kaline (number 6), and Hal Newhouser (number 16). While Horton's career body of work was not of the same Hall of Fame caliber as that of his Tiger brethren enshrined in Cooperstown, his statue is a testament to the strong character he displayed on and off the field, and the crucial role he played in restoring peace and quelling eruptions during the 1967 race riot. To this day his legacy endures as an important symbol of peace and harmony in a hardscrabble city often beset by racial tension. Since 2003, Horton has served as a Special Assistant to Tigers President/CEO/General Manager, originally Dave Dombrowski, and now Al Avila. Former Tigers teammate Al Kaline also held this position, and the two threw out the first pitch of the

2006 World Series The 2006 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2006 season. The 102nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers and the National Leag ...

at Comerica Park. For the ninth consecutive year, the state of Michigan recognized one man's ability to overcome obstacles and achieve a lifetime of success when "Willie Horton Day" was celebrated on Thursday, October 18, 2012. Horton is the fourth person in Michigan history to be given a day, with the third being Rosa Parks. On Opening Day 2013, Horton threw out the first pitch at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Tigers went on to win 8–3 over the New York Yankees.

Notes

References

External links

Willie Horton
at SABR (Biography BioProject)
Willie Horton
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League) {{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Willie 1942 births Living people African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American League All-Stars American sportsmen Baseball players from Detroit Baseball players from Virginia Caribbean Series managers Chicago White Sox coaches Cleveland Indians players Detroit Tigers players Duluth-Superior Dukes players Knoxville Smokies players Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball players with retired numbers Minor league baseball managers Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela New York Yankees coaches Oakland Athletics players People from Appalachia, Virginia Portland Beavers players Seattle Mariners players Syracuse Chiefs players Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo players Texas Rangers players Toronto Blue Jays players Northwestern High School (Michigan) alumni American expatriate baseball players in Mexico 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople