LLoyd McClendon

Lloyd Glenn McClendon is a former American professional baseball player and coach. He played eight seasons in the MLB, primarily as an outfielder, and was manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2001 to 2005 and Seattle Mariners from 2014 to 2015. He most recently served as the interim manager for the Detroit Tigers in 2020. In 1971, McClendon played in the Little League World Series (LLWS) for his hometown Gary, Indiana team, and earned the nickname "Legendary Lloyd" by homering in five consecutive at bats. In fact, they were his only official at-bats, as in every other plate appearance the opposing coaches had him intentionally walked. McClendon's 1971 team was the first all-African American team to reach the final stage of the LLWS. He attended Roosevelt High School in Gary and graduated in 1977. McClendon played collegiate baseball at Valparaiso University, not far from Gary. While at Valparaiso, he compiled a career batting average of .330, and produced 18 home runs and 73 runs batted in. Twice he received all-conference honors in 1979 and 1980.  McClendon’s professional career included playing for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians. McClendon saw the most playing time of his major league career with the Cubs in 1989. Playing mostly left field and first base, he batted .286 with career highs in home runs with 12 and runs batted in with 40. He also scored a career-best 47 runs and even stole 6 bases.