James Edward Johnstone (December 9, 1872 - June 13, 1927) was a professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

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'', ...

. Johnstone worked in three Major leagues in his career, the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(1902),

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 ...

(1903-1912), and the

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

(1915). He umpired 1,736 major league games in his 12-year career. Johnstone umpired in the 1906, and 1909 World Series.

Minor league pitching career

Johnstone pitched in the minor leagues between 1894 and 1897, once throwing a no-hitter in the Atlantic League.

Umpiring career

Johnson's major league umpiring career began in 1902. After one season in the American League, he joined the National League. By 1911, Johnstone was involved in a disagreement with league president Thomas Lynch related to umpiring an unsanctioned offseason series. A 1912 salary dispute ended Johnstone's tenure in the National League. While working in the American Association in 1914, Johnstone's jaw was broken by a punch from pitcher Bill Burns. The incident, and the light punishment received by Burns, led to Johnstone's resignation from the league. Johnstone spent his final year of umpiring in the

that next season.

Notable games

Johnstone umpired the July 31, 1908 Giants-Cardinals game in which

Fred Tenney Frederick Tenney (November 26, 1871 – July 3, 1952) was an American professional baseball player whose career spanned 20 seasons, 17 of which were spent with the Major League Baseball (MLB) Boston Beaneaters/Doves/Rustlers (1894–1907, 1911) ...

stole first base after having already reached second. At the time no rule prevented this tactic and Johnstone allowed Tenney to remain on first base. Tenney, in an attempt to draw a throw that might score the runner on third base, subsequently stole his way back to second base.

Development of modern mask

Johnstone developed The Original Full Vision Mask, a lighter but more protective design of the umpire mask, in 1922. Johnstone distributed the mask under the company name of the Johnstone Baseball Mask Company. Johnstone's design would remain largely unchanged until the development of the hockey-style mask in the 21st century.

Death

Johnstone died in June 1927 after developing an infection while on vacation in his native Ireland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnstone, Jim 1872 births 1927 deaths Major League Baseball umpires