#294 Jim Lemon MG - Washington Senators

James Robert Lemon
Washington Senators
Manager

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  200
Born:  March 28, 1928, Covington, VA
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1950, 1953; Washington Senators 1955-1960; Minnesota Twins 1961-1963; Philadelphia Phillies 1963; Chicago White Sox 1963

As a Manager:  Washington Senators 1968
Died:  May 14, 2006, Brandon, MS (age 78)

A power-hitting outfielder, Jim Lemon was a star for the original Senators before their move to Minnesota.  Lemon played in 28 games for the Indians before and after missing two full years due to military service in the U.S. Army.  Sold to the Senators in May 1954, Lemon would earn a regular spot in the team's line-up a few years later, beginning in 1956.  As the team's regular right fielder, he led the league with 138 strikeouts, the first of three years in a row topping the junior circuit in that category.  However, he also led the league that season with 11 triples and hit 27 home runs, including three on August 31st off future Hall of Famer Whitey Ford with President Eisenhower in attendance.  Lemon drove in exactly 100 runs in both 1959 and 1960, while hitting 33 and 38 home runs respectively in each season and pairing with Harmon Killebrew (#375) as one of the top home run hitting duos in the league.  Lemon was also named to both American League All-Star teams in 1960.

His offensive output steadily declined after the Senators moved west and became the Twins.  He was the opening day left fielder in the first ever Twins game, but hit only 14 home runs in 1961.  Lemon played two more seasons in the majors before re-joining the Twins on their coaching staff in two different stints, from 1965 to 1967 and again between 1981 and 1984.  He managed the expansion Senators for one season in 1968, guiding that club to a 65-96 record and a 10th place finish.  Lemon would coach and manage in the minor leagues following his one season as a big league manager.

Building the Set / Card #24
September 4, 2022 from Deptford Mall Baseball Card Show
On the Sunday afternoon of Labor Day Weekend, Doug and I drove to the Deptford Mall for a mini baseball card show and Bobby Abreu signing.  We were among the first in line to secure our Abreu signatures, and then we spent about a half hour browsing the six or so tables set up in the mall.  I found one dealer (Cash for Cards, from Delaware) with stacks of vintage commons for sale, adding cards to my then not-yet-officially-collecting 1955 Bowman, 1959 Topps and 1969 Topps sets.  This Lemon card was one of seven cards added to my small stack of 1969 Topps cards, and was less than a dollar.

The Card / Senators Team Set / Accuracy Index -1

In one of the harshest back of the card write-ups in the history of Topps baseball cards, Topps shows a cartoon version of Lemon either crying or sweating and carrying his suitcase with the explanation, "Jim was relieved of his position as manager of the Senators on January 29, 1969!"  Brutal.  They could have mentioned his prior year record, or his All-Star Game appearance in 1960, or his three home run game from 1956, but instead they just went for it and laid out Lemon's fate to young baseball card collectors.  The photo on the front is the same as Lemon's 1968 Topps card.

Accuracy Index:  Lemon is wearing an accurate uniform (5) but he didn't actually appear with the Senators in 1969 (-2) and the photo has been used before (-4).

1969 Season
After three seasons as a coach for the Twins, Lemon returned to Washington to manage the "new" Senators team, signing a two-year contract after the club had dealt their former manager, Gil Hodges (#564), to the Mets for pitcher Bill Denehy and $10,000.  Minneapolis millionaire Bob Short purchased the Senators following the season and coaxed Ted Williams (#650) out of retirement to manage the team.  Lemon, as unabashedly summarized on the back of his 1969 Topps card, was dismissed and spent the 1969 season collecting a paycheck for the second year of his two-year deal.

Phillies Career
On May 4, 1963, the Twins sold Lemon to the Phillies, ending his decade of service with the Senators/Twins franchise.  He had been slowed down by a shoulder injury and was batting just .118 (2 for 17) with the Twins at the time of the transaction.  With the Phillies, and wearing #21, Lemon appeared in 31 games in May and June, making 16 starts overall and appearing mostly as a pinch-hitter.  He was batting a respectable .271 with the club with a pair of home runs when he was sold again on June 28, 1968, this time to the White Sox.  Lemon would play his final 36 big league games with the White Sox, retiring as a player following the season.

1954 Topps #103

1957 Topps #57

1960 Topps #440

1963 Topps #369

1968 Topps #341

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #103
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1954, 1957-1963, 1968-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #103
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  72 in the Beckett online database as of 1/3/23.

With each manager card in the set, I'm presenting cards I'd include for that team in an 8th/update series.  For the Senators, I'll go through this exercise with the Williams card, later in the set.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#293 Dick Dietz - San Francisco Giants / #295 Tony Perez - Cincinnati Reds