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A big league umpire at age 25, Al Barlick worked the first of his seven All Star games at 26. He then served in the US Coast Guard from 1943-1945.

When he returned from serving his country at age 31, Barlick was the crew chief for the World Series.

When Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier as first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Barlick stood directly behind him as first-base umpire. Barlick worked six no-hitters and was on the field for the first games at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, as well as the Houston Astrodome and Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium.

Umpires are supposed to be unbiased, but even they still have favorite players. One of Al Barlick’s favorite players was St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial.

Barlick so admired The Man that he requested that he call Musial’s final game in September, 1963. In Musial’s first at bat, Barlick called him out on strikes.

In an interesting turn of events, Al Barlick agrees “to use Longines watches exclusively for the official timing of all Major League Baseball games in which I participate during the seasons of 1956 and 1957.”

The contract seems curious as there is little use for a wristwatch in a game that does not employ a clock. Barlick signs his full signature, “Albert Barlick”.

Vintage documents that date from a Hall of Fame umpire’s career are seldom seen.

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Two years after he broke baseball’s color barrier, Jackie Robinson became one of a quartet of men to break the same barrier for the All Star Game. That 1949 contest featured Jackie as a starter at second base.

Dodger teammates catcher Roy Campanella and pitcher Don Newcombe also made the National League squad. The American League’s trailblazer was outfielder Larry Doby.

Doby’s Junior Circuit club prevailed in high-scoring 11-7 affair. Joe and Dom DiMaggio each had a double and a single while combining for four RBI and 3 runs scored.

For the losing side, Stan Musial and Ralph Kiner each hit homers in front of the Brooklyn faithful at Ebbets Field.

The AL victory was it’s 12th win in the first 16 All Star contests. Virgil Trucks got the victory despite giving up two runs on three hits in his two innings of work. Working the plate that day was Hall of Fame umpire Al Barlick.

Shown here is a 14-karat gold wristwatch given to American League President William Harridge. The inscription on the back of the watch reads, “All Star Game Brooklyn, July 12, 1949”.

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Known for his strong voice and booming strike calls, Al Barlick umpired National League games for 28 years. An official for seven World Series and seven All Star games, Balick was inducted into the Hall in 1989.

In this handwritten letter Barlick recounts some of the highlights of his induction. “Honored to be voted into the Hall by the Veterans Committee who consist largely of my peers and not a bunch of bias sports writers,” he writes.

With additional content of interest in the middle of the letter, Barlick closes with this, “I am very proud of the fact that I came from the coal mines of Illinois and wound up in Cooperstown.”

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Al Barlick umpired big league baseball in parts of four decades. Along the way he witnessed some of baseball’s most memorable moments.

On April 15, 1947 Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier when he took his defensive first base in the top of the first inning at Ebbets Field. Barlick was directly behind him as the base umpire.

He worked the first games at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium, the Astrodome, and Dodger Stadium and was on the field for six no-hitters.

Barlick received baseball’s highest honor when the Veterans Committee voted the legendary umpire into the Hall of Fame along with St. Louis Cardinals great Red Schoendienst.

Baseball writers also selected Cincinnati catcher Johnny Bench and 1967 Triple Crown winner Carl Yastrzemski their first year on the ballot.

The four men were inducted on July 24, 1989 in Cooperstown, New York. The image above is an invitation to the ceremony and is signed by Schoendienst at the bottom.