October Legends Closing October 27,2018
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/27/2018
The trail blazing umpire Emmett Ashford has signed this Official American League Joseph E. Cronin baseball. Ashford, born in 1914, was the first African-American umpire in Major League history. He worked the American League from 1966 to 1970 after toiling for over a decade in the minor leagues and as a college basketball referee in the Pac-8. Ashford worked the 1967 All-Star Game and was on the referee crew for all five games of the 1970 World Series. Ashford has signed this ball on the panel west of Cronin’s stamped signature in blue pen. He inscribed “Best Wishes” above his signature. This baseball comes with a LOA from JSA (X99746).