ROYAL OAK – The Royal Oak Leprechauns honored hometown native Bill Freehan, catcher for the 1968 Detroit Tigers’ World Series championship team, as part of Tuesday night’s 11-1 home victory over the Kalamazoo Growlers.
Multiple members of the family were on hand to pay homage to the late Freehan, an 11-time all-star and five-time Gold Glove catcher, whose legend grew at Memorial Park.
Originally a Little League shortstop, Freehan’s transition behind the plate began one day when his team’s catcher was absent, the start of a storied career.
Part of that early lore came with him playing as a teenager in the city’s Joe DiMaggio League, when he creamed a 402-foot home run. Stories have been told through the grapevine over the years about that bomb by Freehan.
“Anytime me or my dad came over here, someone would tell us about the home run,” said Blaise Salter, Freehan’s grandson.
John Salter, Freehan’s son-in-law, set the facts straight when he gave Tuesday’s crowd a first-hand recount of the tale.
“I grew up in Royal Oak, when to Shrine schools, and everyone heard about Bill as a legend,” John said. “When we would play games, we would line up for frozen cokes and everyone would talk about the home run, this guy Bill Freehand. Parents knew who he was and they would say he hit the ball over the concession stand and it rolled out to the street and went into the Jack in the Box parking lot.
“When I first started dating my wife, literally the first question I asked (Bill) was (about the home run) I had heard about forever. And he had never boasted about anything. But he said he had a couple of things to correct. There was no concession stand, no Jack in the Box, but he said that it did roll across 13 Mile Road.”
Still, a legendary bomb by Freehan, whose family relocated to Florida before he returned as two-sport athlete at University of MIchigan, playing catcher and linebacker. He signed with the Tigers in 1961, then got his call-up to the majors two years later and grabbed the starting job in 1964 when he hit .300 with 18 home runs and 80 RBIs, the start of a 10-year run of consecutive All-Star selections.
Freehan played his entire career with the Tigers and still ranks 11th all-time in team history for games played (1,774). He held the major league record career fielding percentage as well until 2002. After retiring, he sat in the broadcasting seat for the Seattle Mariners and the Tigers boefre returning to the dugout as head coach of the Wolverines’ baseball team from 1989 to 1995.
Freehan, whose wife Patte (married in 1963) was also present Tuesday, passed away in 2021. It remains clear that his influence and love of the game was clearly passed on throughout his family.
Infielder Parker Brzustewicz (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s) makes a catch in the Royal Oak Leprechauns’ 11-1 home victory on Tuesday over the Kalamazoo Growlers. (BRYAN EVERSON – MediaNews Group)
“Huge,” John said. “I played in college at Bowling green, all three of my sons played (collegiate ball) and all of them were catchers. Usually when you go to your grandparents house you don’t work on blocking (balls), but when they went to papa’s house, they’d grab a bag of plastic balls and they’d be blocking pitches all that time, and they loved that time with him.”
Added Blaise, who along with his brothers went to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, “It was everything. From an early age, baseball was something that was very important to our family. Growing up when I was young, he was a coach at Michigan, and going to those games, being a bat boy, all that instilled in me my love of the sport.”
He continued, “It’s awesome just to be able to continue on his legacy and honor him. He meant so much to Detroit, but specifically this city here. It’s great to be here, and (he was) obviously a great player, but even more a better person.”
In the same vein, John called him a “mountain of a main.”
“(Bill) was Royal Oak,” John said. “Even though we lived in Bloomfield Hills, now, I think the kids realize the impact he had on (Royal Oak). It means the world to me, my wife and my mother-in-law. I’m thankful to the Leprechauns, and the city. He’d be very proud to see any kind of recognition.”
Photo gallery of Royal Oak Leprechauns vs. Kalamazoo Growlers in Northwoods League baseball action
After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first, the Leprechauns’ relief efforts by Trey Acker and Nick Brady helped hold Kalamazoo scoreless for the win.
Owen Turner (Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice) and Aiden Schuck (Detroit Catholic Central), with Turner driving in a team-high three RBIs. Ryan Tyranski, who also played at Brother Rice, and Parker Brzustewicz (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s) each scored three times.
After Tuesday’s win, their second in a row, the Leprechauns sit fourth place in the Great Lakes East Division at 7-10 in the second half of the season and 24-29 overall. They’ll play three games on the road before returning home to take on Kalamazoo again on Saturday night.
Originally Published: July 22, 2025 at 6:52 PM EDT