Eric Gregg autograph-Major League Umpire-deceased

Description

Eric Gregg, MLB umpire, autographed PCL ball.
Eric Gregg
was a
Major League Baseball
umpire
who worked in the
National League
from
1975
to
1999
. He was known for being a pioneering black umpire, for his longtime weight problems, and for his controversial home plate umpiring in Game 5 of the
1997 National League Championship Series
—when his generous strike zone helped the
Florida Marlins'
Liván Hernández
strike out 15 Atlanta batters. His major league career began at the age of 24, making him one of the youngest umpires in big league history. And, he was only the third black umpire in the big leagues, following
Emmett Ashford
and
Art Williams
.
On August 8,
1988
, Gregg was the home plate umpire for the first night game at
Wrigley Field
.
He passed away at age 55 on June 5, 2006. Autographed on an
official Pacific Coast League baseball. Believed to have been signed when umpiring in the PCL.