Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Yesterday and Today: Willie Horton

This is the latest installment in our photo series depicting baseball's stars of yesteryear on the site of present-day Navin Field, site of Detroit's historic Tiger Stadium (1912-2009).


Photoshop by Nick Yim. Current photo and concept by Tom Derry.
The youngest of 21 children, Willie Horton blasted a home run at Briggs Stadium when he was just 16 years old. The pride of Detroit's Northwestern High School, "Willie the Wonder" joined his hometown Tigers in 1962.
One of the strongest men the game has ever known, Horton hit 325 career home runs. That total ranked 6th among AL right-handed hitters when he retired in 1980.
The Navin Field Grounds Crew was honored earlier this year when Willie attended the screening of "Stealing Home" at the DIA.


And in 2015, Willie returned to the field for the first time since the final game at Tiger Stadium in 1999.




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