- Frank Secory
Frank Edward Secory (
August 24 1912 -April 7 1995 ) was an Americanleft fielder and umpire inMajor League Baseball who played 186 games from 1940 to 1946 for theCincinnati Reds ,Detroit Tigers , andChicago Cubs . His best season was by|1944, when he batted .321 in 22 games for the Cubs, the team for which he played nearly his entire career. In Game 6 of the1945 World Series , with the Cubs tied 7-7 with the Tigers, he had a pinch-hit single with one out in the 12th inning; a pinch runner later scored on a double to give the Cubs an 8-7 win and send the Series to a seventh game.Secory was born in
Mason City, Iowa , and moved in his youth toMichigan ; he graduated from Western Michigan College with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1936.cite book |title=The Sporting News Baseball Register |year=1964 |pages=pp. 378-79 ] After making his debut with the Tigers, having oneat bat in 1940, he was waived by the team and selected by the Reds. His promising career was sidetracked, however, when he fractured his leg sliding into home onMay 10 of the following year while with theSyracuse Chiefs ; he had been expected to shortly be promoted to the Reds. Despite missing three months, he ended the season with a .329 batting average and 15 runs batted in in 31 games. ["1942 National League Green Book", p. 44.] After his major league career ended with the Cubs in 1946, he became an umpire in theWest Texas-New Mexico League in 1948 and theTexas League from 1949 to 1951."1970 National League Green Book", p. 30.]Secory became a
National League umpire from 1952 to 1970, and worked in theWorld Series in 1957, 1959, 1964 and 1969, serving as crew chief in 1964. He also officiated in the All-Star Game in 1955, 1958, 1961 (second game), 1964, 1967 and 1970. He was the second base umpire onMay 26 , by|1959 whenHarvey Haddix of thePittsburgh Pirates pitched aperfect game for 12 innings before allowing a baserunner and eventually losing in the 13th; [cite book |last=Coberly |first=Rich |title=The No-Hit Hall of Fame: No-Hitters of the 20th Century |year=1985 |publisher=Triple Play |location=Newport Beach, CA |isbn=0-934289-00-X |pages=p. 111 ] he was again at second base onJune 21 , by|1964 whenJim Bunning pitched a perfect game for thePhiladelphia Phillies , the first official regular-season perfect game since 1922. [Coberly, p. 127.]In all, Secory umpired in nine official
no-hitter s in his career, which set a National League record for umpires and was then one short of the major league record held bySilk O'Loughlin . Secory tiedBob Emslie 's NL record of eight no-hitters onMay 1 , by|1969 when he worked second base in Don Wilson's 4-0 gem [Coberly, p. 146.] ; afterAugie Donatelli also tied the record later that year, Secory broke it by working in his ninth no-hitter onJune 12 , by|1970, officiating at first base inDock Ellis ' 2-0 win. [Coberly, p. 151.] After Secory's retirement, Donatelli tied his record in 1972, and Tom Gorman tied it in 1976 beforePaul Pryor broke it upon working in his 10th no-hitter in 1978. Secory was also behind the plate onMay 26 , by|1956 when threeCincinnati Reds pitchers held the Milwaukee Braves hitless for nine innings before losing in the 10th; it was the first time in major league history that multiple pitchers combined to throw nine innings without allowing a hit. [Coberly, p. 103.] He was again at second base for the second game of a doubleheader atShea Stadium onMay 31 , by|1964, between theNew York Mets and theSan Francisco Giants , when the two teams battled for 23 innings before the Giants won 8-6, setting a record for the longest game ever at 7 hours 23 minutes. [cite book|last=Dittmar|first=Joseph J.|title=Baseball's Benchmark Boxscores|year=1990|publisher=McFarland & Co.|location=Jefferson, NC|isbn= 0-89950-488-4|pages=pp. 142-44]Secory married Vonda Conner on
February 7 1938 , and they had two children. A resident ofPort Huron, Michigan since the 1940s, Secory died there at age 82.References
External links
*baseball-reference|id=s/secorfr01
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/S/Psecof101.htm Retrosheet]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Frank_Secory_1912 BaseballLibrary]
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