Pumpsie Green

[GeoPoto]

After baseball, Green earned a physical-education degree from San Francisco State University and then accepted a position with the Berkeley Unified School District, where he ran the baseball program, coached baseball for 25 years, served as dean of boys for a while, taught mathematics, and did some security work at the school. He finally retired in 1997. Players who came through Berkeley and made it to the majors include Glenn Burke, Ruppert Jones, and Claudell Washington.

After retirement, he took to working out at his local YMCA and doting on his granddaughter, Brittany. Pumpsie and Marie had two children: Jerry, a mechanical engineer for A.C. Transit, and Heidi Keisha, a schoolteacher and principal.

Looking back, Pumpsie was frank about Boston and his time in the major leagues. It was a bit of a mixed blessing of sorts, he told Jon Goode: “Sometimes it would get on my nerves. Sometimes I wonder if I would have even made it to the major leagues if it had not been for this Boston thing. Sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off it was not for the Boston thing. Things like that you can never answer.”

Green told Danny Peary, “When I was playing, being the first black on the Red Sox wasn’t nearly as big a source of pride as it would be once I was out of the game. At the time I never put much stock in it, or thought about it. Later I understood my place in history. I don’t know if I would have been better in another organization with more black players. But as it turned out, I became increasingly proud to have been with the Red Sox as their first black.”

While he acknowledged becoming more comfortable over time with the role he played, Pumpsie told Harvey Frommer several years after speaking to Peary, “There’s really nothing that interesting about me. I am just an everyday person happy with what I did,” adding, “I take a lot of pride in having played for the Red Sox.” He summed up, in his self-effacing fashion, “I would like to be remembered in Red Sox history as just another ballplayer.” That was what it was really all about, from the beginning.

His last visit to the Red Sox was in April 2012, when he attended the Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary celebrations. Two days later, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Red Sox game on Jackie Robinson Day.

Pumpsie Green died at San Leandro (California) Hospital on July 17, 2019, at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife of 62 years, Marie, their daughter Heidi, three brothers, and several grandchildren, nieces, nephews. He was preceded in death by his son, Jerry, who passed away in February 2018.

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[laughlinfan]

Thanks for a great thread, George! RIP, Pumpsie, and thanks for the contributions to the game!

[Chris-Counts]

I second the compliment George! If only Pumpsie had played longer, I could enjoy more of your posts about him.

[jingram058]

Absolutely. Great thread. Thanks for taking the time, and thanks for introducing me to Pumpsie Green.

[bobw]

Great reading .....some colorized Pumpsie images.

Your image



1957 San Francisco Seals



1959 w/ Ted Williams



1960

[Rickyy]

Fantastic story...thank you for the right up. I didn't know he was related to Cornell Green!

Ricky Y

[Mike D.]

I ran into Bill Nowlin yesterday at our Southern New England SABR chapter meeting. Interestingly, another member mentioned Green in their presentation.

In John Updike's "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu" Updike mentions Williams playing catch with a "young Negro outfielder named Willie Tasby". It was in fact, Green. Apparently, Green and Williams playing catch wasn't a one-time thing to show Green he was welcome...they played catch before every game.

Apparently Updike said he was unsure who the young outfielder was, and figured that fact checkers would correct it if it was incorrect.