Billy Evans - Definition

Umpire Billy Evans

William George Evans (February 10, 1884 - January 23, 1956) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball, working in the American League from 1906 to 1927. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, the third umpire ever selected.

At 22 years of age, he was the youngest umpire in major league history; furthermore, he was among those very rare umpires who broke into the major leagues with no prior professional experience. He was an umpire for six World Series: 1909, 1912, 1915, 1917, 1919 and 1923. Working in an era during which most major league games used no more than two umpires (and sometimes only one), Evans single-handedly umpired seven double-headers in eight days during the 1907 season. He was the base umpire for Charlie Robertson's perfect game on April 30, 1922.

After he retired from umpiring, he became the general manager of the Cleveland Indians (1927-35) and the Detroit Tigers (1947-51), and also served as an executive in the minor leagues; he also authored articles and a book, Umpiring from the Inside.

External link

• Baseball Hall of Fame biography (http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/evans_billy.htm)
• BaseballLibrary.com - biography and career highlights (http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/E/Evans_Billy.stm)