LeFlore was born in Detroit,Michigan,and was involved in the criminal justice system at an early age. Although his parents John and Georgia LeFlore were married,his father was an unemployed alcoholic who rarely took part in family life. His mother was a hard-working nurses' aide who held the family together financially and physically,even feeding Ron while he was a heroin addict and small-time drug dealer. He credits his mother's compassion for his survival during this period. He attended Detroit's Eastern High School.[1]
He was introduced to shooting heroin in a neighborhood 'shooting gallery'. He dropped out of school and spent many nights breaking into the Stroh's Brewery on Gratiot Avenue,stealing beer and getting drunk with friends. After dropping out of school,he did not play any organized sports and rarely followed the Tigers,although he had been to Tiger Stadium at least once in childhood,sitting in the upper bleachers with his father. First arrested at 15,he was ultimately sentenced to 5–15 years in state prison at the State Prison of Southern Michigan (usually called Jackson State Penitentiary) for armed robbery of a local bar in January 1970 in which he carried a rifle.[2]
Prison discovery
Incarcerated on April 28,1970,the first organized baseball league LeFlore played in was for inmates. Jimmy Karalla,a fellow inmate who was imprisoned for extortion,convinced his longtime friend Jimmy Butsicaris who co-owned a Detroit bar frequented by Detroit sports celebrities,to speak to his good friend Billy Martin,then-manager of the Detroit Tigers,to ask him to observe LeFlore.[2][3] Martin visited Jackson State Prison on May 23,1973.[2] Martin then helped LeFlore get permission for day-parole and a tryout at Tiger Stadium in June.
In July 1973 the Tigers signed LeFlore to a contract which enabled him to meet the conditions for parole. He was paid a $5,000 bonus and $500 per month for the rest of the 1973 season.[2] Assigned to the Clinton Pilots in the Class AMidwest League,and managed by Jim Leyland,LeFlore hit .277.[4]
The following season,he made the major league club out of spring training.
Playing career
LeFlore split time in center field in 1974 with veteran Tiger Mickey Stanley before taking over as the starter in 1975. Largely known as a base stealer,in his prime he also hit for average and moderate power. He,along with Mark Fidrych,were the primary reasons that the Tigers' attendance rose in 1976 by close to 5,000 per game over the previous year. Both players made the 1976 American League All-Star team,yet the team never finished higher than fourth in the American League East standings during LeFlore's tenure. In 1977,he hit 16 home runs and batted .325 –both career highs. But 1978 may have been his career year,when he led the league in singles (153),runs scored (126) and stolen bases (68),and finished second in hits (198),plate appearances (741) and at bats (666).[5] He also set career highs in games played,plate appearances,at bats,RBIs,and walks.
After the 1979 season,in which he hit .300 and stole 78 bases,LeFlore was traded to the Montreal Expos for Dan Schatzeder on December 7.[6] In 1980,he came closest to playoff action as he stole a career-high 97 bases (becoming the first player to lead both leagues in steals) to help the Expos finish the season in second place,only a game behind the eventual World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies.[7] His 97 steals made him only the fourth National League player since 1900 to have 95 or more steals in a season joining Maury Wills,Lou Brock and Omar Moreno (who stole 96 bases in 1980).
In 1981 he signed with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent,but he played in only a combined 173 games in his two years there.[2] After failing to make the Chisox roster in the spring of 1983,he was released by the team on April 2 and he announced his retirement. Soon afterward,he revealed that he was actually four years older than he had previously admitted,possibly giving some explanation for his rapid decline with the White Sox.[8]
As of the end of the 2011 season,LeFlore's 1976,1978 and 1979 seasons were 10th,6th and 3rd respectively on the Tigers' all-time single-season stolen base list and his 294 steals are 4th on the Tigers' career list.[9] His 97 stolen bases for the Expos in 1980 are still a record for the Expos/Washington Nationals franchise.[10] He also finished in the top ten in his league in triples,finishing as high as 3rd in 1980 with 11. Despite his speed and in contrast to his above-average hitting,he was never adept in the field. In his career,he finished in the top five outfielders in errors every year except 1979,leading the league in outfield errors in 1974,1976,1980 and 1982 (despite playing in only 91 games in '82).[5] His worst moment in the field was when he misplayed a ball into a four-base error. Notoriously,on August 1,1982,in a game against the Boston Red Sox,LeFlore was in center field when in the 6th inning Boston leadoff hitter,catcher Gary Allenson,hit a soft liner off Sox starter Jerry Koosman. As he drifted back for the catch,the ball struck him on the forehead near the bill of his cap,took a wild bounce and rolled away. By the time anyone got to it,Allenson had crossed the plate with an unearned run.[11] LeFlore also struck out frequently,finishing in the top ten in his league in strikeouts five times (and second in the American League in 1975 with 139).
In 1988 while working as a baggage handler for Eastern Airlines,LeFlore saw an ad for an umpire school run by MLB umpire Joe Brinkman.[2][12] He attended the five-week course after which top graduates are assigned to whatever openings exist on the minor league level,hoping to make it back to the majors eventually as an umpire,but barely missed his opportunity.[2]
In 1989,LeFlore played for the St. Petersburg Pelicans and Bradenton Explorers of the Senior Professional Baseball Association,hitting .328 in 44 games overall (11 with St. Petersburg and 33 with Bradenton). In 1990,he played for the Florida Tropics of the SPBA.[2] He played in 18 games,hit two home runs and drove in nine runs. He also had the second-highest batting average with .403 when the league folded.
On September 27,1999,LeFlore was arrested at the closing ceremonies of Tiger Stadium for unpaid child support for his adult daughter and her mother.[13] LeFlore had been living in St. Petersburg,Florida at the time,and ultimately was not jailed in exchange for making payments.[13]
In 2000,LeFlore was hired as the manager of the now-defunct Cook County Cheetahs of the Frontier League.[2] He also worked as a manager and coach in the Midwest and Northeastern leagues. In the spring of 2003,he was hired as manager for the Saskatoon Legends franchise in the fledgling Canadian Baseball League,a league that folded midway through its inaugural season.[2]
On May 5,2007,during an autograph signing,LeFlore was again arrested for failure to pay child support.[14]
In the summer of 2011 LeFlore had his right leg amputated from the knee down due to complications caused by arterialvascular disease,a result of his having smoked cigarettes since he was a teenager,and lost 100 pounds as a result of three surgeries.[15][2][16] He now uses a prosthetic leg and lives in St. Petersburg,Florida.[17]
Louis Clark Brock was an American professional baseball left fielder. He began his 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the 1961 Chicago Cubs but spent most of it as a left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. An All-Star for six seasons, Brock was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1985 and was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.
Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel, nicknamed "Little Louie", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop from 1956 to 1973 for three American League (AL) teams, most prominently the Chicago White Sox. During his ten seasons with the team, he became known for his exceptional defensive and base-stealing skills. A 13-time All-Star,, he made an immediate impact with the team, winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 1956 after leading the league in stolen bases and leading AL shortstops in putouts and assists; he was the first Latin American player to win the award.
Edward Trowbridge Collins Sr., nicknamed "Cocky", was an American professional baseball player, manager and executive. He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1930 for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox. A graduate of Columbia University, Collins holds major league career records in several categories and is among the top few players in several other categories. In 1925, Collins became just the sixth person to join the 3,000 hit club – and the last for the next 17 seasons. His 47 career home runs are the fewest of anyone in it. Collins is the only non-Yankee to win five or more World Series titles with the same club as a player. He is also the only player to have been a member of all five World Series championships won by the Athletics during the franchise's time in Philadelphia.
Timothy Raines Sr., nicknamed "Rock", is an American professional baseball coach and former player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball for six teams from 1979 to 2002 and was best known for his 13 seasons with the Montreal Expos. A seven-time All-Star, four-time stolen base champion, and National League batting champion, Raines is regarded as one of the best leadoff hitters and baserunners in baseball history. In 2013, Raines began working in the Toronto Blue Jays organization as a roving outfield and baserunning instructor. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Tommie Lee Agee was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1962 through 1973, most notably as a member of the New York Mets team that became known as the Miracle Mets when, they rose from being perennial losers to defeat the favored Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series for one of the most improbable upsets in World Series history. Agee performed two impressive defensive plays in center field to help preserve a Mets victory in the third game of the series.
Ellis Rena Burks is an American former outfielder. Burks played in Major League Baseball for 18 seasons from 1987 to 2004 with the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, and Cleveland Indians. Burks was a two-time MLB All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and a Gold Glove Award winner. He is a member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.
Vincent Maurice Coleman is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player, best known for his years with the St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily a left fielder, Coleman played from 1985 to 1997 and set a number of stolen base records. He was a switch hitter and threw right-handed.
Miguel Ángel Diloné Reyes is a Dominican former Major League Baseball switch hitting outfielder. He played 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres.
David S. Collins is an American former outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1990.
Jerry Lee Owens is an American former professional baseball player. He played parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Chicago White Sox from 2006 to 2009.
Daniel Ernest Schatzeder is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in the major leagues from 1977–1991 for nine different teams. Schatzeder attended Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, Illinois, then played college baseball at the University of Denver. After he retired from the majors, he was a physical fitness teacher at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, Illinois, until he retired after the 2014-2015 school year.
Donald Martin Kolloway, was an American professional baseball player who played 12 years in Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers (1949–1952) and Philadelphia Athletics (1953).
The 1974 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 93rd season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 83rd season in the National League. The Cardinals went 86–75 during the season and finished second in the National League East, 1+1⁄2 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 1915 Detroit Tigers won a club-record 100 games and narrowly lost the American League pennant to the Boston Red Sox, who won 101 games. Though four other Tigers teams have won 100 games, only the 1934 Tigers had a better winning percentage. The 1915 Detroit Tigers team is remembered for its all-star outfield of Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Bobby Veach—who finished #1, #2, and #3 in the American League in both runs batted in and total bases. Baseball historian Bill James ranks the Tigers' 1915 outfield as the best in major league history.
The 1975 Detroit Tigers compiled a record of 57–102, which was — at the time — the second worst season in franchise history. They finished in last place in the American League East, 37½ games behind the Boston Red Sox. Their team batting average of .249 and team ERA of 4.27 were the second worst in the American League. They were outscored by their opponents 786 to 570. The season included a 19-game losing streak, lasting from July 29 through Aug. 15.
The 1980 Montreal Expos season was the 12th season in franchise history. The Expos were tied with the division rival Philadelphia Phillies in the standings entering the final weekend of the 1980 season with a three game series set between the two clubs at Olympic Stadium. On October 4, with the Phillies holding a one-game lead in the standings, and with the score tied at four heading to the tenth, Mike Schmidt hit a blast deep into the seats in left field to give the Phillies a 6–4 lead and ultimate win to clinch the National League East. This was the Expos closest shot at making the postseason in their brief 12 year history.
The 1979 Detroit Tigers finished in fifth place in the American League East with a record of 85–76, 18 games behind the Orioles. They outscored their opponents 770 to 738. The Tigers drew 1,630,929 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1979, ranking 7th of the 14 teams in the American League. This season is most notable for both the Tigers' involvement in the infamous Disco Demolition Night, of which they were the visiting team to the Chicago White Sox and declared winners by forfeit, as well as for their mid-season hiring of Sparky Anderson as manager. Anderson would manage the Tigers through the end of the 1995 season, winning the 1984 World Series along with two American League Eastern Division titles in 1984 and 1987.
The 1978 Detroit Tigers finished in fifth place in the American League East with a record of 86–76, 13½ games behind the Yankees. They outscored their opponents 714 to 653.
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