Eric Gregg
| Eric Gregg | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Eric Eugene Gregg May 18, 1951 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | June 5, 2006 (aged 55) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Baseball umpire |
| Spouse(s) | Conchita Camilo (December 31, 1974 - June 5, 2006; his death) |
| Children | Kevin, Eric, Ashley, Jamie |
Eric Eugene Gregg (May 18, 1951 – June 5, 2006) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball 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. Through his National League career, Gregg wore uniform number 7.
Gregg was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His major league career began at the age of 24, making him one of the youngest umpires in big league history. He was only the third black umpire in the big leagues, following Emmett Ashford and Art Williams. He officiated in the 1989 World Series, and was the third base umpire for Game 3, which was postponed due to the Loma Prieta earthquake, but since the series ended in four games, he did not get to work behind home plate, as happened to Ashford in the 1970 World Series. He also worked in four National League Championship Series (1981, 1987, 1991, 1997), as well as the 1995 and 1996 National League Division Series and the 1986 All-Star Game at the Houston Astrodome. He was the home plate umpire for two no-hitters (Terry Mulholland in 1990 and Ramón Martínez in 1995) and worked third base for Tom Browning's perfect game on September 16, 1988. On August 8, 1988, Gregg was the home plate umpire for the first night game at Wrigley Field. The Phillies and Cubs were rained out and the first official game was played August 9, 1988. His work in Game 5 in the 1997 National League playoff series was voted by Baseball America as the third-worst umpire performance of 1975–2000 era. Gregg continued to umpire in 1998 and a portion of the 1999 season, but was not selected for post season duties again.
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