Frank Wilson (1890–1928) was an American professional baseball umpire. He worked in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

from 1921 to his death in 1928, serving stints in both the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

Early career

He began playing professional baseball as a catcher in the old Class C

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

("Sally League") in 1911, but had to give up playing early in that season due to an arm injury. He then umpired college baseball games, before moving up to the then-Class AA Western League. In 1921, Wilson was appointed as an American League umpire by

Ban Johnson Byron Bancroft Johnson (January 5, 1864 – March 28, 1931) was an American executive in professional baseball who served as the founder and first president of the American League (AL). Johnson developed the AL—a descendant of the mino ...

. Two years later, in 1923, he became a National League umpire.

Notable games

In May 1922, player-manager

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the las ...

and outfielder Harry Heilmann of the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

engaged in a heated argument with Wilson during a game with the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

. Cobb, it was alleged, deliberately stepped on Wilson's foot during the confrontation and then refused to leave the field after Wilson ejected him from the game, resulting in Cobb's suspension by American League President Ban Johnson on May 30. However, a dispute over the game ensued between Johnson and Wilson; the umpire resigned early in the season and joined the National League staff for 1923. In a

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

game between the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

and the

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

, on March 24, 1927, Wilson ejected nine Yankee players early in the game for heckling him from the bench, only to have them return unnoticed to the dugout later in the game. In the fifth inning, the ''New York Times'' reported the next day, Wilson discovered their transgression after he called out

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

in an attempt to steal home, whereupon he ejected the same nine Yankees a second time, prompting the ''Times'' reporter to write sardonically that, "It was fortunate that Mr. Wilson was in such an amusing frame of mind".

Death

On June 12, 1928, Wilson died of acute appendicitis at Victory Memorial Hospital in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

at age 38. He was survived by his wife and two sons. He fell ill more than a week before his death and underwent two surgeries before he died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Frank 1890 births 1928 deaths Major League Baseball umpires