Elijah "Pumpsie" Green, R.I.P.

Former MLB player Elijah Green, better known as Pumpsie Green, passed away on Wednesday night at the age of 85. A cause of death has not been released.


Green's big league career was a short one. He only played 344 games over five seasons with a career batting average of .246. But Green's career was nevertheless significant as he became the first African-American player to take the field with the Boston Red Sox in 1959. Twelve years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, the Red Sox were the last MLB team to integrate. They could've been the first. Robinson had a tryout with the Red Sox in 1945 but had no intention of signing him. This owes to the racism of owner Tom Yawkey who even during the 1959 season said, “The Red Sox will bring up a Negro when he meets our standards.” What those standards exactly meant Yawkey didn't say. Pressure would be brought to bear from the Masschusetts Commission Against Discrimination.


Green was finally called up and made his debut as a pinch runner on July 21, 1959 (the 60th anniversary of which takes place on Sunday) at Comiskey Park. In 50 games with the Red Sox, Green batted .233 with 1 HR and 10 RBI. He would play a career high 133 games in 1960 splitting his time at shortstop and second base. He proved to be a good field, no hit player batting .242 with 3 HR and 21 RBI in 313 at bats. Green only played 88 games in 1961, but did hit a career high 6 HR and 27 RBI.


In 1962, Green fell out of favor with the Red Sox when he and pitcher Gene Conley went AWOL off the team bus during a traffic jam in New York City. Although Conley took things further and attempted to travel to Israel without a passport, the Red Sox would trade Green to the New York Mets along with Tracy Stallard (the man who surrendered Roger Maris' 61st HR). Green played only 17 games with the Mets in 1963 although he remained in their minor league system until the middle of the 1965 season when he became the property of the Detroit Tigers. His professional career would end that season. Green's big league statistics included 196 hits with 13 HR and 74 RBI. Despite his modest playing career, his historical significance was such that the Red Sox inducted Green into the team's Hall of Fame in 2008.


On an interesting note, Green attended El Cerrito High School in El Cerrito, California which was also attended by Ernie Broglio who passed away two days before Green.


Here is an interview Green did with NESN earlier this year. R.I.P.