Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green (October 27, 1933 – July 17, 2019) was an American
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), ...
(MLB)
infielder who played with the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
(1959–62) and
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
(1963). A
switch-hitter who threw right-handed, he was listed as tall and .
Green had the distinction of being the first
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
player to play for the Red Sox, the last
pre-expansion major-league club to
integrate. In his Boston tenure, he was used mostly as a
pinch runner or day-off replacement for infielders
Pete Runnels
James Edward "Pete" Runnels (January 28, 1928 – May 20, 1991) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Washington Senators (1951–57), Boston Red Sox (1958–62 ...
and
Don Buddin. Green made his debut on July 21, 1959, pinch-running in a 2–1 loss against the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
.
Early life
Green was born in
Boley, Oklahoma
Boley is a town in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,184 at the 2010 census, a gain of 5.2 percent from the figure of 1,126 recorded in 2000. Boley was incorporated in 1905 as a predominantly Black pioneer town with pe ...
, the eldest of five children. One brother,
Cornell Green, was a long-time safety for the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
. Another brother, Credell Green, played football at the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
and was drafted by the
Green Bay Packers.
Green was named Elijah, after his father, but his mother called him "Pumpsie" from an early age, although Green related that he did not know the origin of the name.
Green grew up in
Richmond, California, and was a three-sport athlete at
El Cerrito High School
El Cerrito High School is a four-year public high school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. It is located on Ashbury Avenue in El Cerrito, California, United States and serves students from El Cerrito, a portion of eastern Richm ...
.
Since major-league baseball had not yet expanded to the West Coast, Green grew up a fan of the
Oakland Oaks of the
Pacific Coast League. Green later stated that he may have been even better at
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
, but chose to play baseball when he was offered a baseball scholarship at
Fresno State University
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...
. However, Green decided to attend
Contra Costa College
Contra Costa College is a public community college in San Pablo, California. It is the west campus of the Contra Costa Community College District. It is part of the California community colleges system, one of the three college systems in Califor ...
when Gene Corr, his high school baseball coach, became the baseball coach there and promised Green he would play
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...
if he attended.
In Green's final year of college, he tried out for the Oaks, and was signed to a contract.
Minor league career
In 1954, Green batted .297 in his second season with the
Wenatchee Chiefs
The Wenatchee Chiefs were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Wenatchee, Washington.
Founded in 1937, the team was a part of the Class B Western International League through 1954, although the team did not oper ...
, an affiliate of the Oaks. In 1955, he was promoted to the
Stockton Ports, the Oaks' top affiliate. Green's contract was purchased by the Boston Red Sox during the 1955 season, but he was allowed to finish the season with Stockton before playing the 1956 season with the
Albany Senators, a Red Sox affiliate.
Green spent the 1957 season with the
Oklahoma City Indians
The Oklahoma City Indians was the primary name of an American professional baseball team representing Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, from 1904 though 1957, except for 1913 and three seasons during World War II. The team played in several different minor ...
and
San Francisco Seals, and the 1958 season with the
Minneapolis Millers
The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...
.
In 1959, Green was invited to the Red Sox's major league
spring training camp. Despite playing well and receiving much media attention, Green was sent back to Minneapolis. However, after hitting .320 through 98 games, he was promoted to the major league Red Sox.
Major league career
Green made his MLB debut on July 21, 1959, against the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
at
Comiskey Park, entering the game in the top of the eighth as a pinch runner for
Vic Wertz
Victor Woodrow Wertz (February 9, 1925 – July 7, 1983) was an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He had a 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career from 1947 to 1963. He played for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Brown ...
and playing shortstop in the bottom of the eighth and becoming the Sox's first black player. He started the next day at
second base, batting second and going 0-for-3. His first MLB hit came in his fourth game, on July 28 in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
when he singled off of
Jim Perry James Perry may refer to:
* James Perry (journalist) (1756–1821), journalist
* James Franklin Perry (1790–1853), early Texas settler (with wife Emily Austin Perry)
* Jimmy Perry (1923–2016), English actor and scriptwriter
* James E. C. Perr ...
. That same day, pitcher
Earl Wilson made his MLB debut, becoming the Red Sox' second black player. Green's first
at bat at
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...
was on August 4 against the
Kansas City Athletics
The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 sea ...
; he hit a triple off the
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. The wall is from home plate and is a popular target for right-handed hitters.
Overview
The wall was part ...
. Green played 50 games for the
1959 Red Sox, batting .233 and playing second base almost exclusively.
Green enjoyed a much more full-time role in 1960, playing 133 games, 69 at second base, and 41 at shortstop; he batted for a .242 average.
Green may have had his best season in 1961, posting career highs in
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s (6),
RBI (27),
doubles (12), and
stolen bases (4); however, he also had the most
errors of his career in 1961, with 16. Despite a hot start to the season, Green developed
appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a ru ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
in May, which put him out of the lineup for about four weeks and kept him from playing at full strength for even longer.
In 1962, after a weekend of humiliating losses to the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
, Green along with
Gene Conley
Donald Eugene Conley (November 10, 1930 – July 4, 2017) was an American professional baseball and basketball player. He played as a pitcher for four teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1952 to 1963. Conley also played as a forward in ...
got off the bus in the middle of a traffic jam in
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
to find a restroom, with the bus driver subsequently driving away without the players on board. Conley was not spotted until three days later by a ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' sports reporter at the
Idlewild International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the New ...
trying to board a plane for
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, with no passports or luggage.
After the 1962 season, Green was traded to the New York Mets along with
Tracy Stallard and
Al Moran in exchange for
Felix Mantilla. Green played the majority of the 1963 season with the
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...
but also played 17 games with the Mets. He played his final major league game with the Mets on September 26, 1963. Green played two more seasons in the minor leagues before retiring after the 1965 season.
In a five-season major league career, Green was a .246 hitter with 13 home runs and 74 RBI in 344 games.
His 196 career hits also included 31 doubles and 12 triples.
After baseball
Following his retirement from playing baseball, Green worked at
Berkeley High School in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...
for over 20 years, serving as a truant officer, coaching baseball and teaching math in summer school.
Green lived in
El Cerrito, California
El Cerrito ( Spanish for "The Little Hill") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 25,962 according to the 2020 census. El Cerrito was founded by refugee ...
, since seven years after his retirement from baseball. He was married to Marie for over 50 years.
On April 17, 2009, Green was honored by the Red Sox in a first-pitch ceremony, in recognition of 50 years since his breaking of the Red Sox color barrier. In February 2012, Green was honored by the city of El Cerrito, and presented with a proclamation honoring his "distinguished stature in baseball history."
In April 2012, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before
Jackie Robinson day at Fenway Park, and also attended Fenway's 100th anniversary celebrations later that month.
On July 17, 2019, Green died at the age of 85. No cause was given.
See also
*
List of first black Major League Baseball players
References
Further reading
;Archived content
Pumpsie Green- Baseballbiography.com
Pumpsie Green & Gene Conley try to fly to Israel
External links
Pumpsie Greenat Baseball Almanac
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Pumpsie
1933 births
2019 deaths
African-American baseball players
Albany Senators players
Baseball players from California
Baseball players from Oklahoma
Boston Red Sox players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Major League Baseball infielders
Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
New York Mets players
Oklahoma City Indians players
San Francisco Seals (baseball) players
Stockton Ports players
Sportspeople from Richmond, California
Syracuse Chiefs players
Wenatchee Chiefs players
People from Boley, Oklahoma
American expatriate baseball players in Panama
20th-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century African-American people