Willie Horton
| Birthdate | 10/18/1942 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1963 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Athletics, Blue Jays, Indians, Mariners, Rangers, Tigers |
| Positions | Designated Hitter, Left Field |
With 325 homers, Willie Horton ranked 6th among AL right-handed hitters when he retired. The 1968 champ was twice the AL’s top designated hitter.
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Willie Horton is beloved in Detroit
Willie Horton is beloved in Detroit
In the collection is this limited edition Upper Deck collectors series tribute to the 1971 Tigers signed by Willie Horton, Al Kaline, Mickey Lolich, and Bill Freehan. The 1971 crew won 91 games under skipper Billy Martin, their highest victory total since the 1968 championship season.
Detroit wouldn’t win that many again the until 1983 squad won 92.
Horton was a Tiger mainstay from the time he broke in during the 1963 season until he was traded away early in 1977. A member of the ’68 team that gave Detroit it’s third World Series crown, Horton represented the Tigers in four All Star games.
Comerica Park is home to a statue of Horton who remains a hero in the city. The slugger stood in his Tiger uniform on a car pleading for peace in the middle of the chaos during 1967 Detroit 12th Street Riot.
The following year he hit a career-high 36 homers for the champs in The Year of the Pitcher. Horton placed second in the AL in homers, slugging percentage, and total bases, finishing fourth in MVP voting. His .285 batting average placed him four spots behind Carl Yastrzemski‘s league-leading .301 clip.
After Detroit traded the 34-year old Horton to Texas in April 1977, he enjoyed one more stellar season. As Seattle’s designated hitter in 1979, Horton hit .279, slugged 29 homers – a total he surpassed only in the ’68 season – and recorded a career-high 106 runs batted in.
WITH TIGERS 1968 MY LOVE THAT GUY WILLLE H SUCH GREAT PERSON GOT A LOT OF HELP FROM HIM IN SPRING TRAINING