Making the right call
Emmett Ashford before his major league debut on April 11, 1966 in Washington
Another color barrier is broken in baseball 58 years ago today as Emmett Ashford is hired by the American League to become the majors’ first Black umpire.
The 51-year-old Ashford makes his major league debut on April 11, 1966 – working third base in Cleveland’s 5-2 victory before a Tuesday afternoon crowd of 44,468 in Washington.
Washington’s manager that day is Gil Hodges, who during his playing career is a teammate from 1947-56 of Jackie Robinson – the majors’ first Black player in the 20th century.
Before Hodges gets a chance to greet Ashford in the pregame exchange of lineup cards, Ashford gets a chance to meet the United States Secret Service.
The agents – there to protect Vice President and Ceremonial First Pitch honoree Hubert Humphrey – stop Ashford as he enters the ballpark.
Emmett Ashford working a game at Yankee Stadium
Seems the agents are not much into baseball’s current events, know nothing about Ashford and stop him at the gate.
“Listen,” one agent reportedly tells Ashford, “there are no Negro umpires in the major leagues.”
To which Ashford says, “Well, there will be a Negro umpire in the American League, if you let me into the park.”
After 10 minutes of checking, rechecking and checking some more – the Secret Service tries to be thorough, you know – the agents finally allow Ashford to continue his journey into history.
“It wasn’t easy being an umpire, let alone being a Negro umpire,” Ashford says, “but since the game is the ballplayer’s bread and butter, all he wants is for you to make the right calls.”
Ashford remains in the game until his retirement after the 1970 season.
Ashford is part of the umpiring crew for the 1970 World Series between Cincinnati and Baltimore, and is scheduled to work behind the plate in Game 6 to call balls and strikes only to lose that opportunity as the Orioles win the Series in five games.
Ashford passes away in 1980 of a heart attack at the age of 65. He is cremated; his ashes now interred not far from the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.