They’re the first to ever do it in more than a century of the league’s existence.
Major League Baseball (MLB) was established in 1903, merging both the National League (NL) and American League (AL) divisions of the North American baseball organization. Now, for the first time ever since debuting 121 years ago, the MLB has had its first all-Black umpiring crew.
This past weekend, the San Francisco Giants played the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field, the oldest professional ballpark in the nation, which opened its doors in 1910 in Birmingham, Alabama, Fox News reports.
A historic landmark, the league took the opportunity to honor the late Willie Mays during the game, the first pitch thrown by former teammate, 99-year-old Bill Greason. A pioneering baseball player, Mays, who previously played for the Negro League’s Birmingham Black Barons, regularly played at Rickwood and passed away last week at the age of 93.
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In addition to the celebration of Mays’ legendary career and lasting legacy, the Giants-Cardinals game also boasted the first-ever all-Black umpiring crew, including Adrian Johnson, Alan Porter, C.B. Bucknor, Malachi Moore, and Jeremie Rehak.
Bucknor called it “one of the highlights” of his 26-year career as an umpire. Check out a clip from the historic moment below!
For the first time in AL/NL history, MLB has an all-Black umpiring crew for Giants-Cardinals at Rickwood Field tonight.
• Adrian Johnson
• Alan Porter
• C.B. Bucknor
• Malachi Moore
• Jeremie Rehakpic.twitter.com/sUeLqoKdrL— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 20, 2024advertisement
Cover photo: MLB Makes History With First-Ever All-Black Umpiring Crew in 120+ Year History/Photo Credit @BNightengale/X