Pumpsie Green, 1st black player on Boston Red Sox, dies
BOSTON (AP) — Elijah “Pumpsie” Green, the first black player on the Boston Red Sox, has died. He was 85.
A Red Sox spokesman confirmed his death Wednesday night.
Green played parts of four seasons with the Red Sox and one with the New York Mets from 1959-63, batting .246 with 13 homers and 74 RBIs. But his place in history was made when he stepped on the field as a pinch-runner against the Chicago White Sox on July 21, 1959.
The Red Sox were the last team in the major leagues to field a black player.
