Dave Lemonds

David Lee Lemonds

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1½", Weight 180 lb.
• School University of North Carolina
• High School Garinger High School
• Debut June 30, 1969
• Final Game October 2, 1972
• Born July 5, 1948 in Charlotte, NC USA

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Biographical Information

Hard-throwing lefty Dave Lemonds' career was cut short by arm injuries. After pitching briefly for the Chicago Cubs in 1969, he was traded across town. In 1972 he was the "4th" starter in a Chicago White Sox rotation that featured Wilbur Wood (49 starts), Stan Bahnsen (41 starts), and Tom Bradley (40 starts). Lemonds was the "spot" starter in what was essentially a three-man rotation employed by Sox manager Chuck Tanner. The White Sox fought the Oakland Athletics for the AL West title that summer, and in a crucial series between the two teams in Oakland, Lemonds started against Catfish Hunter on August 11th and pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings, giving up just two hits. Reliever Ed Acosta went the rest of the way to secure the win. It was perhaps the finest start of Lemonds' major league career.

He helped his Charlotte, NC American Legion team to the national championship in 1965 by striking out 19 batters in a semi-final game vs. Omaha, NE. He was named National Collegiate Player of the Year by The Sporting News in 1968. Pitching for the University of North Carolina, Lemonds went 7-1 with a 1.49 ERA, and 96 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings.

"It's like playing with marbles in a bathtub." This was Lemonds description of playing baseball on artificial turf in the early 1970s.