Books and articles about Willie Horton

A short, squat, but immensely strong righthanded slugger, Horton battled weight problems throughout his ML career but was always one of the AL's most dangerous long-ball threats, hitting two home runs in a game 30 different times. He was the Tigers left fielder from 1965 to 1974, then became a designated hitter as he added both years and pounds, and in his final four ML seasons he played for six different AL clubs.

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Horton stood barely 5'11", and early in his career he often reported to spring training weighing 220-230 lbs., where he would attempt to shed 20 lbs. to reach his playing weight. He was an All-Star in his first full ML season (1965), hitting .273 with 29 HR and 104 RBI, and hit 27 HR with 100 RBI the following year. An ankle problem hampered him in 1967, but he recovered from off-season surgery to hit .285 with 36 HR in 1968 as'^-(((the Tigers captured the AL pennant. In the WS, he showed a surprisingly strong throwing arm, nailing Cardinals speedster Lou Brock at home plate on a key play in Game Five on the way to a seven-game Detroit victory. And in 1969 three of his 28 HR were grand slams.

Horton's home run production tailed off considerably from 1970 to 1974, but he hit .305 in 1970 and a career-high .316 in 1973. Then, in 1975, he became Detroit's full-time designated hitter and belted 25 HR. The Tigers traded Horton to Texas for Steve Foucault at the beginning of the 1977 season, and the Rangers shipped him to Cleveland with aborted phenom David Clyde for Tom Buskey and John Lowenstein before 1978. Horton was the DH for the Indians, A's, and Blue Jays at various times in 1978, then signed with the Mariners as a free agent and played all 162 games in 1979, slugging 29 HR with 106 RBI. He retired after the 1980 season, fourth on the Tigers all-time home run list. (SCL)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 14, 1965: At Fenway, the Tigers score four runs in the 10th inning off reliever Dick Radatz to win 12–8. Terry Fox is the winner. For the 2nd game in a row, Willie Horton clouts two home runs and drives in five runs for Detroit. For Boston, Carl Yastrzemski hits for the cycle, and adds a 2nd homer. » July 7, 1968: Denny McLain, the major leagues' winningest pitcher with 16, helps Detroit take a nine 1/2 game lead in the A.L. at the All-Star break, as the Tigers sweep the A's 5–4 and 7–6. McLain wins the opener when Willie Horton clubs a 3-run homer, and Al Kaline matches that in the nitecap. » October 7, 1968: Mickey Lolich saves Detroit, 5–3 with an unlikely assist from Lou Brock. On 2B in the 5th, Brock tries to score standing up on Julian Javier's single and is gunned down by Willie Horton's throw. Al Kaline's bases-loaded single off Joe Hoerner in the 7th scores two for the winning margin. Jose Feliciano's modern rendition of the National Anthem before the game stirs controversy. » May 15, 1969: Willie Horton leaves the Detroit bench during a 2–1 win against Chicago and goes AWOL for four days. » June 21, 1969: Willie Horton powers two homers, one a grand slam, and drives in six runs to power the Tigers to a 9–5 win over the visiting Senators. Mickey Lolich (8–1) is the winner, allowing just four hits. » August 8, 1969: Three-run homers by Tom Tresh and Willie Horton allow the Tigers to sweep a pair from the White Sox, 7–3 and 9–7. Tresh's homer comes in the 8th inning of the Friday nitecap. Rookie of the year candidate Carlos May has two hits in the 2nd game, his last before going on weekend Army reserve duty at Camp Pendleton, California. While there, May suffers a serious injury when a mortar misfires and blows off most of his right thumb. May, hitting .281 with 18 homers, will have extensive skin grafts and surgery and will return to play 150 games and hit .285 next year. His home run output will drop to 12. » September 13, 1969: Detroit is eliminated when they lose to the Senators, 11–6. The Nats score five in the 5th, three coming home on a Ken McMullen homer, one of his four hits in the game. Detroit rallies in the 6th on Willie Horton's 3rd grand slam of the year, but McMullen knocks home another two runs to give Darold Knowles (7-3) the win over Tom Timmermann. » June 9, 1970: Detroit's Willie Horton clubs three home runs, including a grand slam, knocking in seven runs in an 8–3 win over Milwaukee. » April 17, 1971: At Detroit, Willie Horton is 5-for-6 with two home runs and six RBI, and Detroit needs all of it as they win in 10 innings over Boston 10–9. Horton, with a grand slam and solo homer, singles in the 10th with the bases loaded. Trailing 7–1, the Tigers eventually tie the score in the 7th on successive homers by Northrop, Cash, and Horton. Timmerman, with four scoreless innings, is the winner. » August 27, 1971: Detroit's Willie Horton is struck in the eye by a pitch from Chicago's Rich Hinton, sidelining him for 28 games. Hinton, in his first ML start, last two 2/3 innings in taking the loss. Joe Coleman wins. » June 27, 1972: Mickey Lolich is staked to 4–0 lead when the Tigers hit three consecutive first-inning home runs against New York's Wade Blasingame, making his American League debut. Tony Taylor leads off with a walk before Aurelio Rodriguez, Al Kaline, and Willie Horton wade in with homers to finish Blasingame. Lolich, pitching on two days rest, notches his 12th, winning 5–2. Bobby Murcer's home run accounts for one of the Yank runs. » August 27, 1972: The Tigers Willie Horton clouts an 11th-inning 2-run home run to beat Minnesota 5–3 in the opener of 2. In the nightcap, Joe Coleman pitches 11 shutout innings against Minnesota before Aurelio Rodriguez's home run gives him the 1–0 win. This is the 3rd win in a row for the Tigers on 11th-inning homers. Rodriguez hit one to start the streak. » April 19, 1973: Al Kaline, 38, steals home on a double steal with Willie Horton as the Tigers defeat Boston 11–7. » April 14, 1974: In the 8th inning of Detroit's 1–0 win over the Red Sox, Willie Horton mortally wounds a pigeon with a foul fly directly over home plate in Fenway Park. The pigeon lands at the feet of C Bob Montgomery. On the next pitch Horton grounds a single to LF. Joe Coleman is the shutout victor. » April 12, 1977: The Tigers send popular veteran DH-OF Willie Horton to Texas for P Steve Foucault. Both players will move on after one season. » August 15, 1978: The Blue Jays trade DH Rico Carty to the A's for DH Willie Horton and a minor league pitcher. » April 25, 1979: In a 4–1 Boston win, Butch Hobson of the Sox triples off a Seattle speaker in left-center. On June 5th, Willie Horton will get just a single with same thing. » June 5, 1979: In Seattle, Willie Horton hits an apparent home run, his 300th, but the drive off John Hiller strikes a speaker in left centerfield and all Willie gets is a single. Butch Hobson hit the same speaker on April 25, but got a triple out of it. Jack Billingham and Hiller combine on a 4-hitter to beat Seattle, 3–1. Tomorrow, Horton belts his 300th, off Jack Morris, in Seattle's 4–3 win. » August 25, 1979: Willie Horton has two homers, including his 9th career grand slam, to pace Seattle to an 8–4 win over Detroit. Champ Summers has a pair of homers for the Tigers.