Willie Horton, former Tiger great
The Tigers, the city of Detroit, and the state of Michigan have honored Horton in virtually every way imaginable, so it only made sense to have him throw out the first pitch. A star of the 1968 World Series championship team, he spent 14 seasons with the Tigers, batting .273 with 1,993 hits and 325 home runs during his 18-year career. But it was as much what he has done off the field that has endeared him to fans and led to Michigan to declare each Oct. 18 (his birthday) as Willie Horton Day. Ever since 1967, when he helped to quell Detroit鈥檚 riots by taking to the streets in his Tigers uniform, Horton has been a godsend with his service to the community. Today, he is a special assistant to Tigers president, CEO, and general manager Dave Dombrowski.
