Don Pepper
Donald Hoyte Pepper is an American former professional baseball player. He was a first baseman whose seven-year professional career included a four-game trial in the majors with the Detroit Tigers in 1966. Pepper batted and threw left-handed, at and.
Pepper's career was spent with the Detroit organization. In his best season, 1966 with the Double-A Montgomery Rebels, he batted.302 and reached career highs in home runs and runs batted in. Called up to the Tigers after the post-September 1 roster expansion, Pepper was a pinch hitter in three contests. In his fourth game, he was a defensive replacement for veteran Tiger first baseman Norm Cash, but did not bat.
At age 24, Pepper made the cover of Sports Illustrated in March, along with Johnny Bench, Cisco Carlos, Alan Foster, and Mike Torrez, as "The Best Rookies of 1968." He is the father of Dottie Pepper, a former professional golfer and current golf commentator.
