Nestor Chylak

Nestor George Chylak Jr. was temporarily blinded by shrapnel at the Battle of the Bulge, spent eight weeks in an Army hospital with bandages over both eyes, recovered his full eyesight, and then spent 25 years proving he could see a baseball better than anyone else on the field. He umpired 3,857 American League games, worked five World Series, called six All-Star Games, and ejected so few players over the course of his career that his restraint became part of his reputation. Brooks Robinson called him "my favorite umpire." Commissioner Bowie Kuhn said, "Few have ever been more respected in his field." His Hall of Fame plaque calls him "nonpareil umpire of the Post-War Era." The Veterans Committee elected him posthumously in 1999, 17 years after his death.

Olyphant

Chylak was born on May 11, 1922, in Olyphant, Pennsylvania, near Scranton, the oldest of five children in a Ukrainian-American family. His father, Nestor Sr., operated a bar. Chylak attended Rutgers University briefly before the war. He enlisted in the Army in 1942, trained as a Ranger at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, and served as a technical sergeant in the 424th Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division, in the European theater. On January 3, 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge, an exploding shell sent tree fragments into his face and blinded him. He spent 10 days unable to see and eight weeks with bandages over his eyes before doctors confirmed his eyesight had returned. The Army awarded him the Silver Star for gallantry and the Purple Heart.

Chylak returned to Pennsylvania and started umpiring amateur baseball in the Northeastern Pennsylvania League in 1946, less than two years after the injury. He worked his way through the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League, the Canadian-American League, the New England League, and the Eastern League before reaching the American League on April 13, 1954, at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. The Senators beat the Yankees 5-3 in 10 innings. Chylak worked third base.

The Strike Zone

Chylak umpired in the American League for 25 seasons and served as crew chief for 14 of them. He worked behind the plate for 974 games and ejected approximately 24 players across his entire career, among the lowest totals in major league history. He never ejected Earl Weaver. "An umpire must be perfect on the first day of the season," Chylak said, "and then get better every day."

His postseason assignments reflected the league's confidence in his judgment. He worked the 1957 World Series between the Yankees and the Braves, stood at first base for Bill Mazeroski's walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, called balls and strikes for Game 2 of the 1966 World Series (the final major league game Sandy Koufax ever pitched), worked behind the plate for the decisive Game 7 of the 1971 World Series as crew chief, and served as crew chief again for the 1977 World Series. He umpired six All-Star Games, including the 1973 game behind the plate.

He was also behind the plate for the 1972 ALCS when Bert Campaneris threw his bat at pitcher Lerrin LaGrow. Chylak ejected both players.

Ten Cent Beer Night

On June 4, 1974, the Cleveland Indians held a promotional night offering beer at 10 cents per cup, and a crowd of more than 25,000 grew progressively unruly as the evening went on. Chylak was working third base. By the ninth inning, fans were storming the field. A chair fragment struck Chylak in the head and a rock hit his hand. As crew chief, he declared a forfeit to the Texas Rangers, one of the most chaotic endings to a game in baseball history. Three years later, on April 7, 1977, he worked behind the plate for the Toronto Blue Jays' inaugural game at Exhibition Stadium, played during a snowstorm. On July 12, 1979, serving as assistant supervisor of umpires, Chylak was present at Comiskey Park for Disco Demolition Night, when fan rioting between games of a doubleheader damaged the field beyond playability. He informed White Sox owner Bill Veeck the second game could not be played, and AL President Lee MacPhail upheld the forfeit to Detroit.

Play Hard and Fair

Chylak signed autographs with the phrase "Play Hard and Fair." Harmon Killebrew called him "one of the best umpires in the American League for years and years" and praised his rapport with players. Yogi Berra called him an "umpire's umpire" who "kept the game under control, but would also listen to you." He had the baseball rulebook memorized by paragraph and section number.

After illness ended his career in July 1978, Chylak served as assistant supervisor of umpires for the American League. He spent his offseasons visiting the Veterans Hospital in Plains, Pennsylvania, speaking to Little Leaguers and Boy Scouts without charge, and giving away baseballs, bats, and memorabilia to friends and strangers. "This must be the only job in America," he said, "that everybody knows how to do better than the guy who's doing it."

Chylak died of an apparent heart attack on February 17, 1982, in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, at 59. A committee from northeastern Pennsylvania campaigned for his Hall of Fame candidacy with signatures and endorsement letters. The Veterans Committee elected him in 1999, the eighth umpire inducted into the Hall of Fame. His son Bob spoke at the ceremony. "I umpired for 25 years," Chylak once said, "and can honestly say I never called one wrong in my heart."