On April 1, 1996 John McSherry dies at age 51 of a heart attack.
1996: John McSherry, the heaviest major league umpire at 328 pounds, had been having problems with his heart. But the crew chief, who began umpiring in the National League in 1971, doesn’t want to miss opening day, and so he postponed an exam by a doctor until tomorrow, an off day.
Seven pitches into the Reds-Expos game at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium, McSherry backs away from home plate, waves to the other umpires, takes a few labored steps away from the field and collapses. Efforts to revive him fail and 53 minutes later, he is pronounced dead at a Cincinnati hospital.
At the request of players on both teams, the game is postponed until tomorrow. “There are things way more important than baseball,” Expos outfielder Rondell White says.
Reds owner Marge Schott disagrees with the decision to postpone.
“Why are they calling it?” she says. “Whose decision is it? Why can’t they play with two umpires? I feel terrible. This is tragic for him and his family, but you don’t do this to the fans. It’s not fair to those who came from so far away. He’s a baseball man. Wouldn’t he want us to play?”
John McSherry dies at age 51 of a heart attack.
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