Former major league outfielder Chet Lemon will throw out the pitch for tonight’s UCF-Florida baseball game at John Euliano Park.
Lemon, now 70, played for the Chicago White Sox from 1975 to 1981 and the Detroit Tigers from 1982 to 1990, winning a World Series title in 1984.
After his playing career, he established the Chet Lemon Baseball School in Lake Mary and coached baseball at the AAU level and Eustis High School from 2001 to 2008. At Eustis, he led the Panthers to a Class 3A state championship in 2003.
Lemon also served as the baseball chairman for the Florida AAU and the National AAU organizations.
He is credited with helping develop several former MLB players, including Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Zack Greinke, and Casey Kotchman.
Additionally, Lemon influenced the careers of UCF coach Rich Wallace and UF coach Kevin Sullivan. Wallace reached out to invite Lemon to participate in Tuesday night’s game. His wife, Gigi, and his son, Marcus, will join him.
UCF (8-3, 0-0 Big 12) entered the game riding a two-game winning streak, while No. 6 Florida (11-1, 0-0 SEC) is coming off its first season loss, a 13-7 defeat by Miami on Sunday.
Lemon has been dealing with a rare and incurable blood disorder known as polycythemia vera, which causes his bone marrow to produce an excess of red blood cells. He also has global aphasia, a language disorder that affects communication.
Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com
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UCF vs. Monmouth
When: 6, Friday, John Euliano Park on UCF campus
TV: ESPN+