Pumpsie Green
Encyclopedia
Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green (born October 27, 1933 in Boley, Oklahoma
) is a former Major League Baseball
backup infielder
who played with the Boston Red Sox
(1959–62) and New York Mets
(1963). He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed.
Green had the distinction of being the first black
player to play for the Red Sox, the last 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
and Don Buddin
. He made his debut on July 21, 1959, pinch-running in a 2-1 loss against the White Sox
.
Green enjoyed his best season in 1961, posting career highs in batting average
(.260), home run
s (6), RBI
(27), doubles
(12), stolen base
s (4), and at-bats
(260). However, he also had the most errors
of his career that year, with 16. He played his final game with the Mets on September 26, 1963.
In 1962, after a weekend of humiliating losses to the New York Yankees
, Green along with Gene Conley
got off the bus in the middle of a traffic jam in the Bronx. They were not spotted until 3 days later by a New York Post
sports reporter at the Idlewild International Airport
trying to board a plane for Israel
, with no passports or luggage.
In a five-season career, Green was a .246 hitter with 13 home runs and 74 RBI in 344 games. On April 17, 2009, Green was honored by the Boston Red Sox in a first-pitch ceremony, in recognition of 50 years since his breaking of the Red Sox color barrier.
Green now lives in El Cerrito, California
, where he grew up and went to high school. He is the brother of Cornell Green, long-time safety for the Dallas Cowboys
.
Boley, Oklahoma
Boley is a town in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1903.The Boley Public School District is one of the smallest public school districts in the state of Oklahoma. For the most recent data available, it tied with Sweetwater for...
) is a former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
backup infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
who played with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(1959–62) and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
(1963). He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed.
Green had the distinction of being the first black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
player to play for the Red Sox, the last major-league club to integrate
Baseball color line
The color line in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Organized Baseball, or the major leagues and affiliated minor leagues, until Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization for the 1946 season...
. In his Boston tenure, he was used mostly as a pinch runner
Pinch runner
A pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted...
or day-off replacement for infielders Pete Runnels
Pete Runnels
James Edward "Pete" Runnels was a Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Washington Senators , Boston Red Sox and Houston Colt .45s . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed....
and Don Buddin
Don Buddin
Donald Thomas Buddin was an American professional baseball shortstop. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox , Houston Colt .45s and Detroit Tigers . Listed at 5' 11" , 178 lb. , Buddin batted and threw right-handed...
. He made his debut on July 21, 1959, pinch-running in a 2-1 loss against the White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
.
Green enjoyed his best season in 1961, posting career highs in batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
(.260), home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s (6), RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
(27), doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(12), stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s (4), and at-bats
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
(260). However, he also had the most errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
of his career that year, with 16. He played his final game with the Mets on September 26, 1963.
In 1962, after a weekend of humiliating losses to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, Green along with Gene Conley
Gene Conley
Donald Eugene Conley is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played eleven seasons from to for four different teams. Conley also played forward in the 1952-1953 season and from 1958 to 1964 for two teams in the National Basketball Association...
got off the bus in the middle of a traffic jam in the Bronx. They were not spotted until 3 days later by a New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
sports reporter at the Idlewild International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
trying to board a plane for Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, with no passports or luggage.
In a five-season career, Green was a .246 hitter with 13 home runs and 74 RBI in 344 games. On April 17, 2009, Green was honored by the Boston Red Sox in a first-pitch ceremony, in recognition of 50 years since his breaking of the Red Sox color barrier.
Green now lives in El Cerrito, California
El Cerrito, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
, where he grew up and went to high school. He is the brother of Cornell Green, long-time safety for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
.