Billy Evans William George Evans ( February 10 , 1884 – January 23 , 1956 ) , nicknamed " The Boy Umpire , " was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1906 to 1927 . He became , at age 22 , the youngest umpire in major league history , and later became the youngest to officiate in the World Series at age 25 . Upon his retirement at age 43 , his 3 , 319 career games ranked fifth in major league history ; his 1 , 757 games as a home plate umpire ranked third in AL history , and remain the eighth most by a major league umpire . He later became a key front office executive for three teams and president of the minor league Southern Association . In addition to his inside role in the sport , Evans authored countless articles , as well as two books , " Umpiring from the Inside " ( 1947 ) and " Knotty Problems in Baseball " ( 1950 ) . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 , the third umpire ever selected . Formative years . Evans was born in Chicago , Illinois . When he was still a child , he relocated with his family to Youngstown , Ohio , where his Welsh - born father became superintendent at a Carnegie steel plant . In Youngstown , the Evans family joined Westminster Presbyterian Church , where Billy Evans attended Sunday school . As a youth , Evans was active in YMCA programs and participated in a neighborhood baseball club called the Youngstown Spiders , a team named in honor of the regionally popular Cleveland Spiders . He gained notability as an athlete at Youngstown ' s Rayen School , excelling at baseball , football , and track . In 1902 , Evans enrolled at Cornell University , where he played on a freshman team managed by veteran major league shortstop Hughie Jennings . After two years , his law studies and collegiate sports career came to an end , with the sudden death of his father . Evans returned to Ohio and accepted a job as a sports reporter at the " Youngstown Daily Vindicator " . The paper ' s city editor , Sam Wright , hired Evans on the basis of writing experience he secured as a staff member of his high school yearbook and college newspaper . At the same time , Wright understood that Evans ' varied experiences as an athlete provided him with an in - depth knowledge of sports . In the early 1900s , while covering a baseball game between the Youngstown Ohio Works club and a team from Homestead , Pennsylvania , Evans was approached by the manager of the local club , ex - major leaguer Marty Hogan , and asked to fill an umpire vacancy . According to Evans ' s obituary , the aspiring reporter , who was on a date with a young woman , " wasn ' t interested until Hogan mentioned he would be paid $ 15 a week for officiating the game " , a figure equivalent to a week ' s salary at his sportswriting job . Evans ' ability caught the attention of Charlie Morton , president of the Ohio - Pennsylvania League , and he was offered a full - time position as a league umpire . Evans accepted the job , on the condition that he could retain his position as a sportswriter . In 1906 , he received a spectacular career boost from fellow Youngstowner Jimmy McAleer , an ex - major leaguer who was so impressed with the young man ' s ability that he recommended Evans to American League president Ban Johnson . This gesture enabled Evans to move from a Class C Division minor league club to the major leagues . Major league umpiring career . At 22 years of age , Evans was the youngest umpire in major league history ; furthermore , he was among those very rare umpires who broke into the major leagues with little previous professional experience . He was regarded as the only umpire of his era who never had played professional baseball himself . After making his debut at Highlanders ' Park in New York City , he went on to 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 . Unlike many umpires , Evans never made claims to infallibility . " I missed a lot of decisions " , he once said . " At the time of making such a decision there was no doubt in my mind as to its correctness . However , a second or two later I felt that I erred and wished I could change my original ruling " . Evans ' humility and impartiality did not always protect him from abusive fans . As sports writers Daniel Okrent and Steve Wulf observed , " roughness on the field seemed to elicit the same in the stands " . On September 15 , 1907 , in the midst of a doubleheader between the St . Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers , Evans suffered a skull fracture when a bottle hurled by an angry spectator knocked him unconscious . " The New York Times " described the incident as " one of the most disgraceful scenes ever witnessed on a ball field " . Evans became known as an innovator during more than two decades with the American League . One obituary observed that he " introduced something new to officiating by running down to a base where a play was made so that he would be on top of it " . This approach became a standard practice among major league officials . He was also aware of the increasing demands placed on umpires and strongly advocated formal training for baseball officials . Furthermore , in a game that retained much of the rough - and - tumble atmosphere of earlier decades , Evans " substituted diplomacy for belligerency and proved an arbiter could control a game without threats of physical violence " . At the same time , he was unwilling to " back down " when physically threatened . In September 1921 , Evans was involved in a bloody fistfight with Ty Cobb , who contested one of Evans ' calls . Baseball historian David Anderson noted that the trouble began when Cobb threatened to " whip " Evans " right at home plate " , a move that would have led to Cobb ' s immediate suspension . Evans supposedly invited Cobb to the umpire ' s dressing room for " post - game festivities " , and before long , the two men were brawling beneath the stands as players from both teams looked on . According to some accounts , many of Cobb ' s Detroit Tigers teammates " rooted " for Evans . After the fight , Cobb was suspended for one game , while Evans attended the next several games wearing bandages . Both men had agreed before the fight that they would not report it to league officials , but word of the incident eventually reached the league president , Ban Johnson . According to sports writers Okrent and Wulf , Johnson responded to news of the incident " with uncharacteristic humor " , saying " only that he was sorry that he missed it " . For the duration of his career as an umpire , Evans also remained active as a sportswriter . From 1918 to 1928 , he served as sports editor of Newspaper Enterprise Association and produced a syndicated sports column titled , " Billy Evans Says " . His staff featured well - known sportswriters Jimmy Powers and Joe Williams . Executive career . Evans retired from umpiring following the 1927 season to become the general manager of the Cleveland Indians , earning a substantial annual salary of $ 30 , 000 . Baseball historian Bill James observed that Evans was the first front - office executive of a major league team to be officially called a " general manager " . In this capacity , Evans was credited with taking the Indians from a second division to a first division team . He served as general manager for the next eight years , until budget cuts forced him out in 1935 . Rumors circulated that Evans ' s decision to leave the Indians was also motivated by a disagreement with the Indians ' manager , Walter Johnson , over the suspension of third baseman Willie Kamm and the release of catcher Glenn Myatt . Johnson allegedly accused Evans of " disloyalty " , while Evans reportedly replied that he refused to be a " yes man " . Evans soon found work as chief scout and head of the Boston Red Sox farm system , but left on October 8 , 1940 after the team sold Pee Wee Reese to the Brooklyn Dodgers over his objections . Shifting sports , Evans returned to Cleveland to become general manager of the Cleveland Rams for the 1941 season . Although the team struggled on the field , it was a financial success , but after failing to come to terms on a new contract , Evans left and spent the next year writing before accepting the position of league president of the Southern Association on December 3 , 1942 . During his four years leading the league , the Association thrived despite many other leagues shutting down due to World War II . In his first year , attendance increased by nearly 300 , 000 , and while it dipped slightly in 1944 , the threshold of one million people attending league games was again reached the following year . On December 16 , 1946 , Evans accepted a contract offer from the Detroit Tigers to become their general manager . One of his first moves was dramatic – selling aging superstar Hank Greenberg to the Pittsburgh Pirates . Over the next four years , the team had two runnerup finishes to the New York Yankees , but after dropping in the standings during the 1951 season , Evans announced his resignation on July 28 in favor of Tiger legend Charlie Gehringer . Private life . Despite long absences from his residence in Cleveland , Evans was known as a devoted husband and father . He married the former Hazel Baldwin in 1908 ; the couple had one child , Robert , who became the sports director of a radio station in Miami , Florida . Evans maintained close ties with family members and died while visiting his son in Miami . Despite his success , Evans remained accessible to friends from his early days in Youngstown . Shortly after Evans ' death , a former high school classmate , E . Allan Lightner , recalled that his late friend " was still the fine clean character that he was in his high school days in Youngstown " . Lightner recalled that , shortly after his final conversation with the retired umpire , Evans sent Lightner an autographed photo of himself with former Detroit Tigers manager Red Rolfe . Final years . By 1952 , Evans had unofficially retired , then was injured in an automobile accident in Monroe , Michigan . After recovering , he remained in good health until January 21 , 1956 , when he suffered a massive stroke while visiting his son . Evans died two days later at the age of 71 . Funeral services were held in Cleveland . Evans ' remains were interred at Knollwood Cemetery , in Mayfield Heights , Ohio . Legacy . Evans ' contributions to baseball have been widely recognized . In 1973 , he became the third umpire elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame . Evans is honored for the high standard of professionalism he set during his career as an official , and he is credited as a tireless advocate of formal training for umpires . Ironically , as David Anderson observed , Evans might have been denied the opportunity to serve as an official in the major leagues " if the present day umpire school system existed during the Dead Ball Era " . Anderson noted that Evans ' description of the basic qualities required of an effective umpire holds up even today : " Good eyes , plenty of courage – mental and physical – a thorough knowledge of the playing rules , more than average portions of fair play , common sense and diplomacy , an entire lack of vindictiveness , plenty of confidence in your ability " .