Events in Sport
- 1882-06-24 National League expels umpire Richard Higham from baseball for dishonesty after his links with gambling on games are confirmed
- 1900-06-21 Dodgers score 7 in top of 11th to go ahead of Phillies, 20-13, In bottom of 11th Phillies stalls so umpire forfeits game to Dodgers
- 1901-08-21 Baltimore Orioles pitcher Joe McGinnity is suspended from MLB for punching & spitting on umpire Tom Connolly in previous day's 5-2 loss to Detroit Tigers; lifetime suspension reduced to 12 days
- 1906-04-22 New rule puts umpire in sole charge of all game balls
- 1906-09-03 After an 8 minute argument over an umpire call the NY Highlanders win on forfeit over Philadelphia A's; Highlanders' MLB record 5th doubleheader sweep on consecutive days
Sports History
1909-08-03 MLB umpire Tim Hurst instigates a riot by spitting in the face of A's 2nd baseman Eddie Collins who had questioned a call; 2 weeks later Hurst banned for life
- 1913-08-30 Phillies lead Giants 8-6 in top of 9th, fans in bleachers try to distract Giants, Umpire forefeits game to Giants, later overruled
Shore Replaces Ejected Ruth
1917-06-23 Ernie Shore enters game after Boston Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth is ejected for throwing punch at umpire; retires all 26 batters he faces to win 4-0 vs Washington Senators; ruled combined no-hitter
Suspension of Tris Speaker
1918-08-28 Tris Speaker suspended for season due to assault on umpire Tom Connolly
- 1920-06-08 Reds' Edd Roush falls asleep in center during long infield argument Heinie Groh goes to wake him, but umpire ejects Roush for delay of game
- 1922-05-25 Babe Ruth suspended 1 day and fined $200 for throwing dirt on an umpire
Ty Cobb Resigns as Manager
1926-11-03 Legendary baseball figure Ty Cobb resigns as Detroit Tigers manager; replaced by George Moriarty, first man to hold MLB's 4 principal jobs: player, umpire, scout and manager
Twelve Famers on One Field
1928-05-24 Record 12 future Baseball Hall of Famers take the field as NY Yankees beat Philadelphia A's, 9-7 at Shibe Park; managers Miller Huggins & Connie Mack, umpire Tom Connolly also HOF'ers
- 1937-08-06 MLB overturns New York Yankees' 7-6 win over Cleveland Indians because of umpire error
- 1941-07-13 Eddie Mayo (LA-Pacific Coast League), spits in face of umpire Ray Snyder
Sports History
1941-08-19 Baseball umpire Jocko Conlan ejects Pirate manager Frankie Frisch for coming out on field holding an umbrella to get a rainout
- 1942-10-03 NY Yankees shortstop Frank Crosetti shoves umpire Bill Summers in Game 3 of the Baseball World Series; he is fined $250 & suspended for first 30 days of 1943 season
- 1945-09-06 A's catcher Greek George punches umpire Joe Rue gets suspended
- 1951-09-16 US National League umpire Frank Dascoli clears the Dodgers bench, ejecting 15 players
- 1952-02-20 Emmett Ashford is certified to be first black umpire in organised baseball; has to wait until 1966 for MLB debut
- 1956-04-24 AL umpire Frank Umont is 1st to wear glasses in a regular season game
- 1960-08-28 White Sox Ted Kluzewski's 3-run HR is disallowed as umpire called time
- 1966-04-11 Emmett Ashford becomes first African American major league baseball umpire in Washington Senators’ game against the Cleveland Indians at D.C. Stadium
- 1968-09-30 AL & NL umpires form a new Association of Major League Umpires
- 1970-10-03 First umpires strike in MLB history lasts one day during League Championship Series; AL and NL presidents recognise newly-formed MLB Umpires Association; negotiate labor contract
- 1972-01-13 Bernice Gera wins anti-discrimination case against the National Baseball Congressl, initiated March 15, 1971 to be allowed to umpire
- 1972-06-23 Bernice Gera becomes first female umpire in US pro baseball, Geneva Senators and Auburn Twins in Geneva, New York
- 1972-07-14 Plate umpire and catcher in a game are brothers; Bill Haller is umpire and Tom Haller is Detroit Tigers catcher; Kansas City Royals win, 1-0
- 1972-09-18 1st black NL umpire is Art Williams for Los Angeles vs San Diego
Sports History
1974-07-14 Billy Martin is 1st AL manager ejected by umpire from 2 games in 1 day
- 1976-02-02 Roger Connor, Fred Lindstrom & umpire Cal Hubbard elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1976-06-15 Rain out! Astrodome cancels game heavy rains make it difficult for visiting team and umpires to get through flooded streets to the stadium
Sports History
1978-07-14 Umpire Doug Harvey ejects Don Sutton after discovering 3 scuffed balls
- 1978-08-25 MLB baseball umpires stage a 1 day strike
- 1979-03-07 Baseball exhibition season opens with semi-pro & amateur umpires
US Men's Tennis Open
1979-08-30 In a wild encounter at the US Open, John McEnroe beats Ilie Năstase 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Năstase is defaulted by the umpire then reinstated
- 1980-04-25 Oakland Athletics' manager Billy Martin is restrained by umpires from attacking a fan
- 1981-05-27 Lenny Randle tries to blow a slow roller foul but umpire says no
Baseball History
1983-05-30 AL President Lee MacPhail suspends Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for one week, for his public criticism of umpires
- 1984-10-02 Due to a strike by MLB umpires, first 4 NLCS games played with replacement umpires; Game 1: Chicago Cubs beat SD Padres, 13-0
- 1985-10-26 On a poor call in Game 6, umpire Don Deckinger starts a string of events probably costing St. Louis Cardinals the Baseball World Series; lose 2-1 to KC when leading series, 3-2
- 1985-10-29 St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joaquin Andújar is suspended by MLB for 10 games for bumping an umpire
- 1987-08-31 The Great Potato Incident: Minor league Williamsport Bills catcher Dave Bresnahan attempts to lure an opposing baserunner off third base using a potato carved to look like a baseball. Umpire calls runner safe, and the catcher is fined $50 and released by the team [1] [2]
Sports History
1988-05-02 Reds manager Pete Rose is suspended for 30 days for pushing an umpire
- 1989-02-28 10-time All Star second baseman and manager Red Schoendienst and umpire Al Barlick are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1990-03-22 The ML umpires announce that they will boycott exhibition games
- 1990-04-21 National League umpire is arrested for stealing baseball cards
- 1991-04-08 Major league umpires & baseball reach a 4-year agreement
- 1991-07-08 Major league umpire Steve Palermo and former NFL defensive lineman Terence Mann shot trying to help 2 waitresses from being robbed
- 1994-06-23 Replay shows Oakland Athletics's Bobby Witt beat Kansas City's Greg Gagne to 1st in 6th but umpire Gary Cedarstrom calls him safe, ruining Witt's perfect game
- 1996-04-01 Veteran American MLB umpire John McSheery dies of heart attack while umpiring on Opening Day at the Cincinnati Reds' Riverfront Stadium; he was 51
- 1996-09-27 Baltimore Oriole Roberto Alomar spits in face of umpire John Hirschbeck
- 2014-12-02 After featuring in a magazine article with long-time life partner, veteran MLB umpire and crew chief Dale Scott openly acknowledges his homosexuality; overwhelmingly positive reaction from baseball circles
Birthdays in Sport
- 1859-07-08 Hank O'Day, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher/umpire/manager (umpire 10 World Series), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1935)
- 1862-04-30 Jack Sheridan, American Baseball Hall of Fame umpire (World Series 1905, 07-08, 10), born in Decatur, Illinois (d. 1914)
- 1870-12-31 Tom Connolly, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL-record 8 x World Series), born in Manchester, England (d. 1961)
- 1873-11-04 Bobby Wallace, Baseball HOF shortstop, pitcher (Temple Cup 1895 Cleveland Spiders) and manager (St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1960)
- 1874-02-22 Bill Klem, American Baseball HOF umpire (record 18 x World Series), born in Rochester, New York (d. 1951)
- 1878-02-12 Clarence "Pants" Rowland, American baseball manager (World Series 1917; Chicago White Sox 1915-18) and MLB umpire (American League 1923-27), born in Platteville, Wisconsin (d. 1969)
- 1880-03-22 Ernie Quigley, Canadian Basketball HOF official (St. Mary's College, Kansas Uni), basketball umpire (1936 Olympics), MLB umpire (6xWorld Series) & football referee, born in Newcastle, New Brunswick (d. 1960)
- 1884-02-10 Billy Evans, American Baseball HOF umpire (American League 1906-27; at age 22, youngest umpire in MLB history), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1956)
- 1896-01-18 Bill McGowan, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL 1925-54; 8 x World Series; 4 x MLB All-Star Games), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1954)
- 1899-12-06 John "Jocko" Conlan, American Baseball HOF umpire (National League 1941-65), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1989)
- 1900-10-31 Cal Hubbard, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL 1936-51) and Pro/College Football HOF tackle (4 × NFL C'ship 1927, 29–31; 4 × First-team All-Pro; NY Giants, GB Packers), born in Keytesville, Missouri (d. 1977)
- 1914-11-23 Emmett Ashford, American baseball umpire (first certified black umpire), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1980)
- 1915-04-02 Al Barlick, American Baseball Hall of Fame umpire (7 x World Series; 7 x MLB All Star games), born in Springfield, Illinois (d. 1995)
- 1915-11-18 Ken Burkhart, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals) and umpire, born in Knoxville, Tennessee (d. 2004)
- 1917-04-25 Red Flaherty, American baseball umpire (World Series 1955, 58, 65, 70; MLB All Star games 1956, 61, 69), born in Maynard, Massachusetts (d. 1999)
- 1922-05-11 Nestor Chylak, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL 1954-78; 3 x ALCS; 5 x World Series; 6 x MLB All Star games), born in Olyphant, Pennsylvania (d. 1992)
- 1930-03-13 Doug Harvey, American Baseball HOF umpire (NL 1962-92; 5 x World Series; 7 x MLB All-Star games; career total 4,673 games), born in South Gate, California (d. 2018)
- 1931-06-15 Bernice Gera, first woman umpire in US pro baseball, born in Ernest, Pennsylvania (d. 1992)
- 1935-02-28 Bill Haller, American baseball umpire (AL 1961, 63-82; 15 x AL C'ship Series games; 27 x World Series games; 4 x MLB All-Star games), born in Joliet, Illinois (d. 2022)
- 1936-08-28 Don Denkinger, American baseball umpire (World Series: 1974, 80, 85, 91; MLB All-Star Game 1971, 76, 87; "The Call"), born in Cedar Falls, Iowa (d. 2023)
- 1937-06-28 Ron Luciano, American baseball umpire in the American League (1969-79), born in Endicott, New York (d. 1995)
- 1937-07-09 Marty Springstead, American Major League baseball umpire and umpire supervisor, born in Nyack, New York
- 1944-09-11 John McSherry, American MLB baseball umpire, 1971-96 (World Series - 1977, 87; All-Star Game - 1975, 82, 91), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 1996)
- 1946-08-18 Derryl Cousins, American baseball umpire (World Series 1988, 99, 2005; MLB All-Star Game 1987, 98, 2008), born in Fresno, California (d. 2020)
- 1948-01-21 Dan Morrison, American baseball umpire (World Series 1992; MLB All Star Game 1988; AL C'ship Series 1989, 96, 99), born in Glasgow, Kentucky (d. 2023)
- 1963-06-02 Bryan Harvey, American MLB baseball relief pitcher, 1987-95 (2X All-Star; California Angels, Florida Marlins), born in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee
Deaths in Sport
- 1903-03-07 Hely Hutchinson Almond, Scottish classics scholar and early rugby umpire and advocate (Loretto School), dies at 70
- 1914-11-02 Jack Sheridan, American Baseball Hall of Fame umpire (World Series 1905, 07-08, 10), dies from effects of sunstroke at 52
- 1935-07-02 Hank O'Day, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, umpire, manager (umpire 10 World Series), dies of bronchial pneumonia at 75
- 1951-09-16 Bill Klem, American Baseball HOF umpire (record 18 x World Series), dies at of a heart attack at 77
- 1954-12-09 Bill McGowan, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL 1925-54; 8 x World Series; 4 x MLB All-Star Games), dies from a heart attack at 58
- 1956-01-23 Billy Evans, American Baseball HOF umpire (American League 1906-27; at age 22, youngest umpire in MLB history), dies from a stroke at 71
- 1960-11-03 Bobby Wallace, Baseball HOF shortstop, pitcher (Temple Cup 1895 Cleveland Spiders) and manager (St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds), dies at 86
- 1960-12-10 Ernie Quigley, Canadian Basketball HOF official (St. Mary's College, Kansas Uni), basketball umpire (1936 Olympics), MLB umpire (6xWorld Series) & football referee, dies at 80
- 1961-08-28 Tom Connolly, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL-record 8 x World Series), dies at 90
- 1969-05-17 Clarence "Pants" Rowland, American baseball manager (World Series 1917; Chicago White Sox 1915-18) and MLB umpire (American League 1923-27), dies at 91
- 1977-10-17 Cal Hubbard, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL 1936-51) and Pro/College Football HOF tackle (4 × NFL C'ship 1927, 29–31; 4 × First-team All-Pro; NY Giants, GB Packers), dies of cancer at 77
- 1980-03-01 Emmett Ashford, American baseball umpire (first certified black umpire), dies from a heart attack at 65
- 1982-02-17 Nestor Chylak, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL 1954-78; 3 x ALCS; 5 x World Series; 6 x MLB All Star games), dies at 59
- 1989-04-16 John "Jocko" Conlan, American Baseball HOF umpire (National League 1941-65), dies after heart surgery at 89
- 1992-09-23 Bernice Gera, American 1st female baseball umpire (1969 NY-Penn League), dies of cancer at 61
- 1995-01-18 Ron Luciano, American baseball umpire in the American League (1969-79), dies at 57
- 1995-12-27 Al Barlick, American Baseball Hall of Fame umpire (7 x World Series; 7 x MLB All Star games), dies at 80
- 1996-04-01 John McSherry, American MLB baseball umpire, 1971-96 (World Series - 1977, 87; All-Star Game - 1975, 82, 91), dies of a heart attack behind the plate on Opening Day in Cincinnati, Ohio at 51
- 1999-04-01 Red Flaherty, American baseball umpire (World Series 1955, 58, 65, 70; MLB All Star games 1956, 61, 69), dies from stroke-related complications at 81
- 2004-12-29 Ken Burkhart, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals) and umpire, dies at 88
- 2012-01-17 Marty Springstead, American Major League baseball umpire and umpire supervisor, dies of a heart attack at 74
- 2018-01-13 Doug Harvey, American Baseball HOF umpire (NL 1962-92; 5 x World Series; 7 x MLB All-Star games; career total 4,673 games), dies at 87
- 2020-10-20 Derryl Cousins, American baseball umpire (World Series 1988, 99, 2005; MLB All-Star Game 1987, 98, 2008), dies from cancer at 74
- 2022-08-22 Bill Haller, American baseball umpire (AL 1961, 63-82; 15 x AL C'ship Series games; 27 x World Series games; 4 x MLB All-Star games), dies at 87
- 2023-05-12 Don Denkinger, American baseball umpire (World Series: 1974, 80, 85, 91; MLB All-Star Game 1971, 76, 87; "The Call"), dies at 86
- 2023-07-24 Dan Morrison, American baseball umpire (World Series 1992; MLB All Star Game 1988; AL C'ship Series 1989, 96, 99), dies at 75