Ballplayers Going Over to the Dark (Blue) Side

Like players-turned-managers, there are players who went into umpiring. (via James G.)

Like players-turned-managers, there are players who went into umpiring. (via James G.)

Wanting to be a big league ballplayer is a common enough ambition or dream for many young men. The same could not be said of being a major league umpire. In fact, if you encountered a young man who wanted to be an umpire from day one, you might keep an eye on him…a budding authoritarian personality perhaps?

The umpire, however, is a necessity. No matter what league you’re talking about, you have to have at least one on the field at all times, and in the major league postseason, you have six. With the new replay rules, there are now two more umpires in New York monitoring the video. So there are job opportunities out there.

In the long history of major league ball, 40 former players became major league umpires. While never a common career move, it was not uncommon in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but became less so as the 20th century progressed.

I could list all 40 of the players/umpires, but there’s no need to, as Baseball Almanac has already done so. If you’re curious, just go here.

A number of the former players must have realized they had made a mistake. Ten of the 40 (notably Thomas Corcoran, Firpo Marberry and Ed Walsh) umpired just one year. Same goes for Sherry Magee, but he had a good excuse for checking out, as he died of pneumonia after his lone season (1928). Five players served just two years, while others found the job to their liking and stuck around a while. So let’s look at some of the players who made a name for themselves as umpires. A few are still better known as players, but most did not light up the leader boards.

Pitcher Ken Burkhart broke in with a bang at age 29, going 18-8 in his rookie year with the Cardinals in 1945. After that the results were mediocre, and he retired after the 1949 season with a 27-20 record and a 3.84 ERA. His National League umpiring career lasted much longer (1957-1973). He umpired in three World Series and four All-Star games. He was on the field for eight no-hitters (curiously, he was never behind the plate), one short of the National League record.

The story of Bob Caruthers is one of peaking early before beginning a long, slow decline. He was one of the stalwarts of 19th century baseball, winning 40 games twice (1885 and 1889) and finishing off his nine-year career with a 218-99 record. He started 310 games and completed 298 of them. After his big league career was over, he played and managed in the minors. One of the least imposing umpires ever (he stood just 5-foot-7 and weighed 138 pounds), he became an AL umpire in 1902 and 1903. Apparently, he was not a particularly good umpire, so he was demoted to the minor leagues, slowly going downward in class till 1911, when he died at the age of 47.

After 13 years playing minor league ball, John “Jocko” Conlan finally reached the big leagues at age 34 but had an indifferent playing career as an outfielder (a .263 average in 365 at-bats) in 1934 and 1935 for the White Sox, but a long (1941-1964) umpiring career that culminated in induction to Cooperstown in 1974. He thus became the first Hall of Fame umpire/former player. Quite an achievement, considering Conlan’s umpiring career started by accident. Hard to believe, but in 1935, when an umpire fell ill (only two umpires officiated regular season games in those days), a player was pressed into service. So during a game against the Browns when the heat got to one umpire, Conlan came off the White Sox bench and went from partisan to arbiter. He must have had an epiphany since he began his pro career as an umpire the next season in the minor leagues. From there, he went on to the National League in 1941, umpired in five World Series and six All-Star games, and retired in 1965.

Bill Dineen had a solid career in the American League from 1898 through 1909. Pitching for the Senators, the Beaneaters, the Red Sox and the Browns, he ended up 170-177 with a 3.01 ERA, and had four 20-win seasons (1900, 1902, 1903 and 1904). His last appearance on the mound was on Aug. 26, 1909; 17 days later he umpired his first game. Having pitched in the 1903 World Series with the Red Sox, and umpired in the 1911 World Series, he became the first man to play and umpire in a World Series. He was also the only umpire who had pitched a no-hitter (Sept. 27, 1905) and officiated at one – actually five. He was chosen to umpire in the inaugural All-Star Game in 1933. He retired in 1937.

Pitcher Bob Emslie had one very good year (32-17 for the Orioles in 1884) and three forgettable years (1883, 1885, 1886), when his composite record was 12-27. He must have figured out his baseball career lay elsewhere. In 1888 he began umpiring in the International League, moved to the American Association in 1890, transferred to the Western League in 1891, and moved on to the National League later in the season. During his career, he worked four no-hitters, Ed Delahanty’s four-home-run game in 1896, and the Bonehead Merkle game in 1908. He retired in 1924, after which he served as NL chief of umpires.

Tom Gorman barely qualifies for this list, as he pitched just five innings in four games for the Giants in 1939. He joined the NL umpiring staff in 1951, and officiated in five World Series and five All-Star Games. He worked nine no-hitters, tying the NL record (also held by Frank Secory and Augie Donatelli). Umping through 1976, he moved to the front office and became a league supervisor. His son Brian began umpiring in the NL in 1991 and is still calling the shots in he majors.

George Hildebrand probably figured out very quickly that he had no future as a player. In April 1902 he went 9 for 41 for the Brooklyn Superbas, and that was it for his big league career. He worked as an American League umpire from 1913 to 1934. Ironically, this veteran umpire is credited with the invention of the spitball when he noticed how moisture affected the flight of the baseball in 1902 while playing with Providence of the Eastern League. He umpired in the 1914, 1918, 1922 and the 1926 World Series.

Bill Kunkel may go down in baseball history as the last player to become an umpire. Kunkel made his debut with the Kansas City Athletics in 1961. He played three years in the big leagues. His last year, 1963, was his best. With the Yankees, he was 3-2 with a 2.72 ERA and played in the World Series against the Dodgers.

After that, he bounced around in Triple-A ball in 1964 and 1965 before retiring at age 28. He resurfaced in the big leagues as an umpire in 1968. The life of sports officiating must have appealed to Kunkel, as he also worked NBA games from 1966 to 1968. Only 31 years old when he started umpiring major league games, he worked the 1972 and 1977 All-Star Games, as well as the 1974 and 1980 World Series, the fourth pitcher/umpire in World Series history. A long career should have been his for the taking, but he succumbed to cancer in 1984 at age 48. At the time his son Jeff was a shortstop with the Texas Rangers. The Kunkels were not the only father player/umpire and son player in history. Big Ed Walsh, a certified member of the Hall of Fame (1946), gave umpiring a try in 1922. His son Ed (not a junior, as he had a different middle name) played major league ball, though without distinction. Guess we could call him Small Ed Walsh, as his four-year record was 11-24 with a 5.57 ERA.

A Hardball Times Update
Goodbye for now.

You’ve probably never heard of William Joseph (for some reason known as Barry) McCormick, but he had a 10-year career from 1895 to 1904, amassing 867 hits, but achieving a mere .238 average. On June 29, 1897, he was the last player to have eight at-bats in a nine-inning game. Starting as an umpire in the American League in 1917, he shifted to the National League in 1919. Working behind the plate on May 1, 1920, he really earned his money when the Dodgers and Braves locked horns in a 26-inning contest, the longest in major league history. He retired after the 1929 season.

George Moriarty logged 13 years in the majors, playing every position save right field and catcher. He broke into major league ball at the age of 18, playing one game for the Cubs in 1903. In 1906 he resurfaced with the New York Highlanders, moved on to the Tigers in 1909, and finished his career in 1916 with the White Sox, for whom he went a mere 1 for 5. The career results were so-so, a .251 average and 920 hits. As a base-runner, however, he was outstanding, stealing 20 or more bases for eight consecutive seasons (1907-1914). After retiring as a player in 1916, he became an American League umpire the next season. He continued through 1926, then took off two seasons to serve as manager of the Tigers, after which he returned to the umpiring ranks and retired in 1940. He worked five World Series and one All-Star Game. It’s nteresting to note that he was the grandfather of actor Michael Moriarty, who played a star pitcher in Bang the Drum Slowly, a 1973 baseball movie, now best known as an early effort by Robert De Niro, who played a slow-witted catcher with a terminal disease.

Hank O’Day had a modest career (73-110, 3.74 ERA) as a pitcher from 1884 to 1890. By 1895, he had transitioned to NL umpire and retired in 1927. Like Moriarty, he took off two years to serve as a manager (the Reds in 1912, the Cubs in 1914). In 2013 he was posthumously inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame, thus joining Jocko Conlan as the second Hall umpire who also played major league ball. Notably, he was behind the plate for the first World Series game in 1903. Along with the aforementioned Bill Emslie, he worked (behind the plate) the famous Bonehead Merkle game between the Cubs and the Giants in 1908. He umpired in 10 World Series, and he was a base umpire when Bill Wabsganss pulled off his unassisted triple play in the 1920 Series.

Babe Pinelli (a/k/a Rinaldo Angelo Paolinelli) played for the White Sox in 1918, the Tigers in 1920, and the Reds from 1922-1927. His eight-year career as an infielder (every position but first base) was respectable (723 hits, a .276 average). He became a National League umpire in 1935 and served till 1956. Along the way he worked six World Series and four All-Star games. He retired after the 1956 World Series, and his last game behind the plate was Don Larsen’s perfect game. No Cooperstown for Pinelli, but he is a member of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in Chicago.

George Pipgras was a pitcher for the famed 1927 Yankees. After brief tours of duty with the Yanks in 1923 and 1924, he came up to stay in 1927 and appeared in three World Series, winning one game each in 1927, 1928 and 1932 (he had no losses) with a 2.77 ERA. His best year was 1928 when he was 24-13 with a 3.38 ERA. He remained with the Yankees till 1933, when he was traded to the Red Sox early in the season. He retired after the 1935 season with a record of 102-73 and a 4.09 ERA. He joined the AL umpiring squad in 1938. When he umpired in the 1944 World Series, he matched Bill Dineen’s rare status of pitcher/umpire with World Series experience. He later worked as a scout for the Red Sox.

Ed Rommel had a distinguished 13-year career with the Athletics from 1920 through 1932, going 171 and 119 with a 3.54 ERA. His best year was 1922 when he went 27-13. He pitched in the 1929 and 1931 World Series, albeit without distinction, pitching one inning in each Series. He served as an A’s coach in 1933 and 1934, then became a minor league manager the following year, and a minor league umpire the next season. He began his American League umpiring career in 1938. He worked six All-Star Games and the 1943 and 1947 World Series. After Bill Dineen and George Pipgras, he was the third man to pitch and umpire in a World Series. He umpired through 1959.

I think it’s fair to say that Frank Secory’s playing career was undistinguished. He had one at-bat for the Tigers in 1940, then played three seasons (1942, 1944 and 1945) during World War II for the Reds and the Cubs. At a time when the major league talent level was arguably at its lowest ebb, Secory was a bench warmer, maxing out at 57 at-bats in 1945 with the Cubs. He hung on for a last hurrah season with the Cubs in 1946, retiring with a .228 average (37 for 162). He served as a National League umpire from 1952 to 1970, working four World Series and six All-Star Games. He worked nine no-hitters, a National League record, which Tom Gorman later matched.

Vincent Smith could only envy Secory’s career. As a backup catcher, his major league career consisted of just 10 hits in 33 at bats in 1941 and a mere 4 for 21 in 1946, both seasons with the Pirates. He worked as a National League umpire from 1957 to 1965. Along with Secory, he worked Harvey Haddix’s 12 perfect innings on May 26, 1959.

Lon Warneke pitched for the Cubs and Cardinals from 1930 to 1947. A five-time All Star, he threw 41 shutouts, enjoyed three 20-game seasons (1932, 1934, 1935) and ended with an outstanding 192-121 record. Plying his trade as an arbiter from 1949 to 1955, Warneke became the only man in baseball history to play in and umpire both World Series games and All-Star games. His even-handedness must have impressed even non-baseball folks, as he was elected a county judge in Garland County, Ark. in 1962.

It’s not hard to figure out why Bill Kunkel was the last player to become an umpire. He played at a time when the reserve clause was still in effect and salaries were much lower. His three seasons in the majors didn’t provide much of a nest egg. Since he had to continue earning a living, and assuming he wanted to stay in the game, umpiring was a realistic option. In fact, if you are banking on a lengthy career in major league baseball, the odds are higher if you take up umpiring and do a good job. The age factor, which eventually does in even the best players, is less a factor in umpiring.

Now in one sense, it is difficult to imagine a competitor becoming an arbitrator. On the other hand, a player already has a pretty good working knowledge of the rules, so that would give him an advantage over a layman in umpire school. One can see how a young man who loves baseball but doesn’t have the talent to make it to the majors might consider becoming an umpire.

Perhaps one day another former major league player will turn umpire. If so, he will be the first of the 21st Century. As was the case with a number of the earlier players/umpires, he will likely be a short-timer who didn’t make much money and needs to do something to earn a living. The current annual salary range for major league umpires is $84,000 to $300,000 — not player level, but not bad.

Frankly, that New York umpiring gig watching videos sounds pretty good to me. It’s the proverbial indoor job with no heavy lifting – and you’re being paid to watch baseball on TV! Former player or not, that is a dream job!


Frank Jackson writes about baseball, film and history, sometimes all at once. He has has visited 54 major league parks, many of which are still in existence.
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Marc Schneider
8 years ago

Whatever you think of the quality of the umpires, to me it is a thankless job. At least the players get to rest in their respective dugouts between innings on a hot day; the umps don’t have that. Is it any wonder why players who have often made millions playing have no desire to be an umpire? It probably would help, though, if more umpires were players; today, many of them seem oversensitive to perceived slights and too ready to pick fights with players and kick them out. They seem to see any outburst by players to be an attack on their authority. Perhaps experience playing would temper their hair-triggers. At the same time, I can imagine that it’s not easy dealing with today’s players, But you can’t help wondering if envy sometimes drives umps to be too quick on the draw.

Barney Coolio
8 years ago

I can’t believe they let a player (Conlon) officiate a game in which his team was playing! Talk about an obvious conflict of interest!

Cooperstown13
8 years ago

Where’s Charlie Berry? He seems to be the most interesting one to right about! He played for the infamous 1925 Pottsville Maroons, kicked the field goal that gave the NFL supremacy over college football for the first time, NFL Scoring Champ, A’s catcher, Ump in five World Series and officiated 12 NFL Championship games?

Rich looby
8 years ago

Charlie Berry’s Pop played 43 games professionally in 1884