Doug Harvey (umpire)

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For the NHL player, see Doug Harvey (ice hockey).

Doug Harvey
Baseball Hall of Fame induction parade
Born(1930-03-13)March 13, 1930
South Gate, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 13, 2018(2018-01-13) (aged 87)
Visalia, California, U.S.
EducationSan Diego State University
OccupationBaseball umpire
Years active1962–1992
Spouses
Joan Manning
​
​
(m. 1950; div. 1952)​
Joy Glascock
​
(m. 1960)​
Children3
Baseball career
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2010
Vote93.8%
Election methodVeterans Committee

Harold Douglas Harvey (March 13, 1930 – January 13, 2018) was an umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB), who worked in the National League (NL) from 1962 through 1992.

Noted for his authoritative command of

Baseball Hall of Fame.[1]

In 1999, the Society for American Baseball Research ranked Harvey as the second-greatest umpire in history, behind only Bill Klem.[2] In 2007, Referee magazine selected him as one of the 52 most influential figures in the history of sports officiating.[3] Harvey wore uniform number 8 for most of his career.

Early life

Harvey was born on March 13, 1930, in South Gate, California, but was raised in San Diego, California.[4]

Harvey began officiating local

San Diego throughout his umpiring career.[4]

Career

Harvey umpired in the California League from 1958 to 1960, and in the Pacific Coast League in 1961.[7] He married Joy Ann Glascock on September 24, 1960, and the couple had two sons, Scott and Todd.[8] Harvey reached the majors on April 10, 1962, the first regular-season game in Dodger Stadium. His greatest influences were umpires Al Barlick, Jocko Conlan and Shag Crawford, each of whom gave him invaluable advice in developing his skills – Barlick for his renowned mastery of the rules, Conlan for helping him appreciate the fun of umpiring, and Crawford for his tremendous work ethic.[6]

Harvey umpired in five World Series (1968, 1974, 1981, 1984 and 1988), serving as crew chief in 1984 and 1988, and in seven All-Star Games (1963, 1964, 1971, 1977, 1982, 1987, and 1992), calling balls and strikes for the 1982 and 1992 games.[9]

Harvey set a record by officiating in the National League Championship Series nine times – 1970 (Games 2–3), 1972, 1976, 1980, 1983, 1984 (Game 5), 1986, 1989 and 1991 – serving as crew chief for the last five; his record was later tied by Paul Runge in 1997, and broken by Bruce Froemming in 2000.[9]

He was the home plate umpire for the Pirates inaugural game (against the

3,000th (and last) base hit off the New York Mets' Jon Matlack, then retrieved the ball for Clemente.[6] Harvey was the home plate umpire for the single-game playoff to decide the NL's Western Division champion in 1980, between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers.[5] Harvey was the home plate umpire for Game 1 of the 1988 World Series when Kirk Gibson hit a game-winning home run off Dennis Eckersley.[7]

The

Sport magazine named him the best umpire in the game, citing his unbending application of the rules and noting his campaign to enforce the balk rule two seasons earlier, when he said, "Give me ten high school pitchers, let me spend a week with them, and I'll show you 10 pitchers who won't balk.[5] It's not that difficult. So they better learn it."[12]

Harvey's goal of umpiring until age 65 ended on October 4, 1992, at age 62, when knee problems necessitated his retirement.[9] He nonetheless became the first NL umpire since Bill Klem to work for more than 30 years, finishing with 31 years in the major leagues; his 4,673 games then ranked third in major league history behind Klem (5,374) and Tommy Connolly (4,769).[13]

Harvey noted that when he arrived in the major leagues, the emphasis was on making calls quickly and decisively, and said, "Everything was called too quickly. I've got a photograph of Jocko Conlan working first base. Jocko's arm was extended in the out call. But the runner was still short of the bag, and the ball was still in flight. In those days it was common to anticipate the call".[6] Harvey, however, changed attitudes by insisting that it was better to delay the call and make sure it was correct.[14]

Harvey was easily recognizable due to his thick white hair, which had already gone completely gray when he was in his 30s, leading to the early nickname of "Silver."

Charlie O. Finley. In the latter part of his career, Harvey was the voice of MLB's "You Make the Call" segments.[17]

Later life

In August 1997, Harvey was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, which was attributed to his longtime use of chewing tobacco.[18]

In both

2008, but fell one vote short of the required 12 votes.[19] On December 7, 2009, Harvey was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Hall of Fame Veterans' Committee and was inducted on July 25, 2010.[5] Due to persistent voice issues from his cancer, Harvey's speech was pre-recorded and delivered on a video broadcast, though he did say a few words after the speech was played to the estimated 10,000 fans in attendance.[20][21]

Harvey died at the age of 87 on January 13, 2018, under hospice care in Visalia, California.[5][19]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Terrific trio primed for Hall of Fame induction: Hawk, Herzog, Harvey eagerly await Cooperstown enshrinement". MLB.com. July 24, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  2. ^ "SABR Century Survey Results". The SABR Bulletin. 29 (7). Cleveland: Society for American Baseball Research: 8–9. July–August 1999.
  3. ISSN 0733-1436
    .
  4. ^ a b c "Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey, called "God" by players, dies at 87". Denver Post. January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Doug Harvey, Hall of Famer Umpire Who Players Called God, Dies at 87". The New York Times. January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Garrity, John (October 19, 1998). "A Few Words From God". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 89, no. 16. p. 45.
  7. ^ a b "Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey, called 'God' by players, dies at 87". Chicago Sun-Times. January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  8. ^ National League 1992 Green Book, p. 42.
  9. ^
    MLB
    . January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  10. ^ Lang, Jack (October 5, 1974). "Players Rank Harvey No. 1 Among N.L. Umpires". The Sporting News. p. 8.
  11. ^ Gammons, Peter (April 6, 1987). "What Ever Happened to the Strike Zone?". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 66, no. 14. p. 40.
  12. ISSN 0038-7797
    .
  13. ^ White, Paul (August 15, 2006). "Froemming calling his 5,000th". USA Today. Retrieved September 26, 2007.
  14. ^ Holtzman, Jerome (October 1992). "Doug Harvey: An Old Umpiring Soldier Fades Away". Baseball Digest. Vol. 51, no. 10. pp. 65–67.
  15. ^ The Sporting News Baseball Register (1964), p. 374.
  16. ^ Holtzman, Jerome (December 18, 1971). "Ump Harvey Grows Handlebar Mustache". The Sporting News. p. 53.
  17. ISBN 078686754X
    . Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  18. ^ "Doug Harvey's Baseball Hall Of Fame Speech: 'I Want You To Notice That I Stopped The Rain'". SBNation.com. July 25, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  19. ^ a b Imber, Gil. "Hall of Fame and Former NL Umpire Doug Harvey Dies". www.closecallsports.com. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  20. ^ Bois, Jon (July 25, 2010). "Doug Harvey's Baseball Hall Of Fame Speech: 'I Want You To Notice That I Stopped The Rain'". sbnation.com. Vox Media, LLC. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  21. ^ "2010 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony". clarksportscenter.com. Clark Sports Center. Retrieved April 20, 2023.

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