Lee Mechanical and Baseball.
Lee Mechanical is proud to be a leading plumbing, heating, cooling and electrical contractor in Southeastern Wisconsin. The source of that pride stems not only from the great work our skilled tradesmen do for our customers, it also comes from the fact that Kenosha is our home and we are raising our families here. Our founder and former company President – Bob Lee Sr. – was born and raised in Kenosha. He got early fame for his prowess as one of the greatest pitchers to ever come out of this community. Along with his friend and high school teammate Bob Hartman, Bob Lee Sr. has a baseball story to tell and we are proud to share it with our customers and friends.
The “Early Days” of Mr. Baseball in Kenosha
The Early Days... Baseball is a sport that catches the fascination of almost every boy growing up in America. Here in Kenosha, there have been a lot of great names going on to baseball careers. Names like Ray Berres, Dick Bosman and Bob Hartman to name a few. Bob Lee Sr., the former President and founder of Lee Mechanical, had his own run with fame. A left-handed pitcher with a knack for striking out opposing batters, Bob Lee Sr. was a baseball phenom who might have had a great career as a major league pitcher had it not [...]
A Kid from Kenosha Pitching in the Minors
Off to the Minors... The following year was 1955 and Lee was assigned by the Braves to their minor league affiliate to the Corpus Christi Clippers in the Big State League. The Clippers played in Corpus Christi for just four years, from 1954-1957 but several future major league stars played there. “Don Leppert was my catcher,” Lee stated. After catching Lee at Corpus Christi, Leppert went on to catch in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Senators. His major league career lasted only three years, but he hit a homerun in his first major league at bat. He would later go on [...]
Hometown Hero Brings Baseball Back to Kenosha
Back to Kenosha... In 1983, years after starting the plumbing business and with his family well-established and successful in their own right, Bob Lee Sr. learned that the Minnesota Twins were “shopping” their single A minor league baseball affiliate. They were looking for a new home for the team. Lee, who never lost his love for the game after having an outstanding high school career and a stint in the minor leagues with affiliates of the Milwaukee Braves, called his good friend Roland Hemond. “This is how you continue a dream,” Lee stated. “I knew it was a long shot. But I didn’t [...]
