The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York has a grand total of 319 elected members … that’s it. Among them are 222 former major league players, 30 executives, 35 Negro League players and 22 managers. There have also been 10 umpires who have achieved baseball immortality in the sacred Halls of in Cooperstown. They are:

• Tommy Connolly (1953)
• Bill Klem (1953)
• Billy Evans (1973)
• Jocko Conlan (1974)
• Cal Hubbard (1976)
• Al Barlick (1989)
• Bill McGowan (1992)
• Nestor Chylak (1999)
• Doug Harvey (2010)
• Hank O’Day (2013)

On Saturday, January 13, 2018, the ninth man on this list, former 31-year MLB veteran umpire Doug Harvey, passed away at the age of 87.

Doug Harvey was one of only three to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. He is also only one of 10 major league umpires to be so honored in the 148-year history of the game.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

“Hall of Famer Doug Harvey was one of the most accomplished umpires of all-time,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a written statement on Sunday. “Known for his strong presence and communication skills, he umpired some of the most memorable moments ever, including from behind the plate for Kirk Gibson‘s walk-off home run to open the 1988 World Series. A generation of umpires learned as a result of Doug’s example, his eagerness to teach the game and his excellent timing behind the plate.

“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my deepest condolences to Doug’s family, his friends and the umpiring community.”

So what’s the big deal, you ask? The big deal is that in a generation of crystal clear, digitally enhanced instant replay, pitch-trackers, K-Zones and other high-tech graphics and devices, Doug Harvey ‘got it right’ (as they say) far more often than he did not, and he did so with his eyes, ears and instincts. And when you take this into consideration, and when you see the blatant incompetence of current umpires like Angel Hernandez, C.B. Bucknor, Laz Diaz and Joe West, you begin to realize just how incredibly special Doug Harvey really was, and exactly why he was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2010.

Harvey was born and raised in South Gate, California – a mere 14 miles from Dodger Stadium – and began his major league umpiring career in 1962. During his 31 years of service, all in the National League, he served as crew chief for 18 years, worked five World Series, nine National League Championship Series and six All-Star Games,. He worked a total of 4,673 major league games and in 1974 was ranked as the game’s the best umpire by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). To this day he remains the only umpire in MLB history to receive an “excellent” rating by the MLBPA.

In 1974, the Major League Baseball Players Association gave former MLB umpire Doug Harvey an “excellent” rating. No other major league umpire before or since has received such a rating, thereby making Harvey “The best there ever was.” (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

As commissioner Manfred noted in his statement, Harvey was the home plate umpire when former Dodger Kirk Gibson hit what is still considered to be the greatest home run in World Series history during game-1 of the 1988 Fall Classic.

Although every baseball fan on the planet is familiar with Kirk Gibson’s historic home run in game-1 of the 1988 World Series, few are aware that Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey was behind the plate when Gibson hit it. (Photo credit – Heinz Kluetmeier

As luck would have it, I was blessed to have visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in June of 2010. And even though Harvey would not officially be enshrined into the Hall for another month, his selection – along with those of eight-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glover, four-time Silver Slugger and 1987 NL MVP Andre Dawson and former 18-year MLB manager Whitey Herzog – was widely acknowledged throughout the Hall and throughout the entire community of Cooperstown, New York – population: 1,770.

Harvey is survived by his wife Joy, and our thoughts and prayers are with her and all of Doug’s family, friends and former colleagues.