Larry Herndon

Not to be confused with Larry Herndon of Keitz & Herndon

Larry Darnell Herndon (born November 3, 1953), sometimes referred to by the nickname "Hondo", is an American former professional baseball outfielder and hitting coach. He played in Major League Baseball in 1974 and from 1976 to 1988.

Born in Mississippi and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Herndon was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1971. He played for four years principally in the Cardinals' minor-league system. Herndon was traded to the San Francisco Giants in 1975. In six years with the Giants, he won the Sporting News National League Rookie of the Year award in 1976 and the Willie Mac Award in 1981.

Herndon next played for the Detroit Tigers as a left fielder from 1982 to 1988. He was a member of the 1984 Detroit Tigers team that won the American League pennant and defeated the San Diego Padres in the 1984 World Series.

After his playing career ended, Herndon was the Tigers' hitting coach from 1992 to 1998. He was later a coach for the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Early years Herndon was born in 1953 at Sunflower, Mississippi. He began playing baseball as a boy in a clearing next to the railroad tracks in Sunflower. He decided at age eight that he wanted to play major league baseball. He attended Douglass High School in Memphis.

Professional baseball player St. Louis Cardinals system Herndon was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 1971 Major League Baseball draft. During the 1971 season, his fellow rookie and roommate was Randy Poffo, who later became known as wrestler Randy Savage.

In 1972, Herndon split his time between the Gulf Coast League Redbirds, the Single-A Cedar Rapids Cardinals of the Midwest League, and the Single-A St. Petersburg Cardinals of the Florida State League. The Cardinals were reportedly grooming Herndon as a replacement for Lou Brock. Used principally as a pinch-runner, he also scored three runs.

Herndon began the 1975 season with the Tulsa Oilers, the Cardinals Triple-A team in the American Association. Herndon spent the remainder of the 1975 season with the Phoenix Giants, San Francisco's Triple-A club in the Pacific Coast League. He appeared in 115 games with Phoenix in 1975, batting .269 with 17 stolen bases.

Herndon injured his leg playing winter ball after the 1976 season. He reinjured the leg in June 1977 and underwent knee surgery to repair the damage. He appeared in only 49 games during the 1977 season, and his batting average dropped to .239. The San Francisco Examiner referred to him as an "AWOL outfielder" and to the incident as "The Larry Herndon Mystery". Herndon later recalled: "I was young and immature in my first few years. I came to expect certain things that didn't develop and I didn't handle it well. I let it bother me at home and at the park."

Herndon returned to form in 1978, appearing in 151 games, including 149 in center field. He compiled a .259 batting average and stole 13 bases. He also ranked fourth in the league with nine triples. At the plate, Herndon had a .258 batting average in 1980 and ranked third in the league with 11 triples. His batting average jumped to .288 (30 point higher than 1980) with eight triples and 15 stolen bases (a high during his major-league career). His error total dropped by more than half from 1980, and his range factor of 2.28 in left field ranked second in the National League.

Detroit Tigers Power surge in 1982 and 1983 On December 9, 1981, the Giants traded Herndon to the Detroit Tigers for pitchers Mike Chris and Dan Schatzeder.

Herndon immediately became the Tigers' regular left fielder. In 1982, he appeared in a career-high 156 games at the position, including 151 as a starter and 146 complete games. His offensive production also increased in Detroit, as his batting average climbed to .292, and he had career highs with 13 triples, 23 home runs, 295 total bases, and 11 outfield assists.

Herndon earned a reputation as a quiet and shy player while in Detroit. Defensively, his performance dropped off as he led the league’s left fielders with 15 errors. His strong hitting continued into the 1984 post-season, as he compiled a .333 batting average and .533 slugging percentage in the 1984 World Series. In Game 1 of the World Series, he hit a two-out, two-run home run to lead the Tigers to a 3-2 victory. In the decisive Game 5, Herndon caught the final out, a fly ball to left field off the bat of Padres star Tony Gwynn. Afterward, Herndon said of Gwynn's fly ball that he "just wanted to squeeze it" and added, "This is the best feeling I've had since I've been in baseball."

Final years

Herndon's offensive production dropped off in 1985 and 1986, with batting averages of .244 and .247 and an identical .386 slugging percentage both year.

In the 1987 American League Championship Series, Herndon hit .333, and drove in two runs as the Tigers lost the series in 5 games to the Minnesota Twins. During the 1988 season, an arthritic knee limited Herndon's ability to continue to play effectively in the outfield. As a result, he appeared in only 76 games, 53 of them as the designated hitter and only 15 in left field. He compiled a career-low .224 batting average and appeared in his last major-league game on October 2, 1988.

Career statistics In 1,537 games played over 14 seasons, Herndon compiled a .274 batting average (1334-for-4877) with 605 runs, 186 doubles, 76 triples, 107 home runs, 550 RBI, 353 base on balls, a .322 on-base percentage and a .409 slugging percentage. Defensively, he posted a .972 fielding percentage at all three outfield positions. In the 1984 World Series and the 1984 and 1987 American League Championship Series he recorded a .310 average (9-for-29) with two home runs and six RBI. He held that position for eight years from 1992 to 1998.

In 2005, Herndon was hired as the hitting coach for the Lakeland Flying Tigers, a Tigers minor league affiliate. He continued to hold that position in 2022.

Personal life Herndon and his wife Faye had four children.