Athletes - Willie Horton

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	Athletes - Willie Horton

Willie Watterson Horton (born October 18, 1942 in Arno, Virginia) is a former left fielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers for the majority of his career. Horton made his debut with the Tigers on September 10, 1963. He batted and threw right-handed.

In a 18-season career, Horton posted a .273 batting average with 325 home runs and 1163 RBI in 2028 games.

While not considered a particularly good fielding player, Horton's hitting more than made up for it. He posted double-digit home run totals in 12 regular seasons from 1965-76, with a career-high 36 in 1968 - a pitcher's year in which Detroit won the World Series. In order to combine Horton's offensive power with a good defense, manager Mayo Smith moved regular center fielder Mickey Stanley to shortstop as a replacement for Ray Oyler, who was benched. Then, he switched Al Kaline to center field and put Jim Northrup at right field. When the Tigers were safely ahead, Oyler replaced Stanley at shortstop and batted in Horton's lineup spot; Stanley returned to center field, and Kaline moved over to replace Horton in left field.

In the 1977 midseason Horton was traded to the Texas Rangers. He spent 1978 playing for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays, before finally settling with the Seattle Mariners from 1979-80. He played his final game on October 5, 1980.

Horton was a four-time member of the American League All-Star team (1965, 1968, 1970 and 1973). He also finished fourth in the 1968 American League MVP voting, and in 1979 with the Mariners, he was named the AL Outstanding Designated Hitter and the Comeback Player of the Year as well. After retiring, he coached for the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. His number 23 is just one of six uniform numbers retired by Detroit. Horton joined a select group that includes former Tigers players Ty Cobb, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline and Hal Newhouser.

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Athletes - Willie Horton

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