Robert Daniel Emslie (January 27, 1859 - April 26, 1943) was a Canadian pitcher in Major League Baseball who went on to set numerous records for longevity as an umpire. Born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, he was nicknamed "Wig" due to his premature receding hairline, and "Blind Bob" as well, for his role in the infamous "Merkle's Boner" play during the season.

Playing career

Emslie began his professional career playing for several semi-professional teams in Ontario until signing on with the Camden, New Jersey team of an early version of the Interstate League for the season. He pitched for the them until middle of the season when he joined the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association. The first season with the Orioles, he had a 9-13 record, with 3.17 earned run average, 21 complete games, and one shutout. His best season was in when he had a 32-17 record completed all 50 of his starts, and had a 2.75 E.R.A.

The following season, in , Emslie's numbers greatly decreased with Baltimore, reportedly due to a sore arm that is attributed to his excessive use of the curveball, and he was moved to the Philadelphia Athletics also of the American Association. He pitched in only four games for the A's; his major league playing career was over, and by his minor league career was over as well.

Umpire career

After his playing career was over, he was attending an International League game, when he was asked to officiate when the assigned umpire fell ill. He then spent the next four years umpiring in three leagues. He was with the International League for the and seasons, then began his major league career when he umpired American Association games in . He began the season in the Western League, but was soon back in the majors, working for the National League, debuting on August 17.

Emslie was involved in many of the game's highlights, including calling four no-hitters. The first one was on August 16, 1893, when Bill Hawke of the Orioles tossed his; the second was Deacon Phillippe's of the Louisville Colonels on May 25, 1899. The third no-hitter came on September 18, 1903 by Chick Fraser of the Philadelphia Phillies, and the fourth was tossed on May 8, 1907, by Francis "Big Jeff" Pfeffer of the Boston Doves.

By the end of the season, he began to work the bases almost exclusively, instead of calling games from behind the plate. In all, Emslie served 33 years as an active-duty umpire before retiring at the end of the season. He then served as NL Chief of Umpires, with the responsibilities of inspecting, scouting, and coaching new umpires.

The Merkle Incident

Emslie is perhaps best remembered as the base umpire on September 23, 1908, when controversy erupted at the end of the New York Giants-Chicago Cubs game at the Polo Grounds. With the score tied, with two out, in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Giants had Moose McCormick on third base and Fred Merkle on first base; Al Bridwell smashed a single to center to drive home McCormick with the apparent winning run, but Merkle failed to touch second base. Cubs second baseman Johnny Evers noticed this error, and tagged second base and appealed to Emslie. Emslie claimed that he had to duck out of the way of Bridwell's line drive and did not see the play, and home plate Umpire Hank O'Day declared Merkle out and the game a tie. New York manager John McGraw, with whom Bob had a long and tempestuous history with, bestowed upon Emslie his nickname, "Blind Bob," and the incident is called "Merkle's Boner." Notably, Emslie and O'Day were the two most experience umpires in major league history at that point, with Emslie having worked nearly 2,500 games and O'Day nearly 1,700. Later, he showed up at a Giants' practice with a rifle, placed a dime on the pitching mound, and then with a shot fired from behind home plate sent the coin spinning into the outfield. Reportedly, McGraw never again challenged his eyesight.

Post-career

Retirement did not stop his active involvement in of sports in St. Thomas, Ontario, where he coached youth baseball and enjoyed curling, bowling, and golf. Emslie died at age 84 in St. Thomas, Ontario, and was interred at the St. Thomas West Avenue Cemetery. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in . Emslie Field in St. Thomas is named in his honor.

References

1. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Bob_Emslie_1859

External links

• Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
• Bob Emslie's Obituary - The New York Times, April 27th, 1943
• Career chronology @ baseballlibrary.com