Our national pastime has often been the forum for the advancement of social progress in America. From Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s whites-only policy to Curt Flood fighting baseball’s unfair labor practices, the game played on a diamond has often wrestled with issues of race, class and ethnicity.

But another of baseball’s social pioneers who risked everything when he stepped onto the field, was not even a player. Umpire Dale Scott made history when he came out as a gay man in 2014.

Scott called balls and strikes in the big leagues from 1986 to 2017, umpired three World Series, three All-Star Games, numerous playoffs, and several no-hitters. He is also the last umpire to eject New York Yankee manager Billy Martin from a game.

Scott has written about his life in baseball and his journey to making his sexuality public in his book The Umpire Is Out. Scott talked to the Monday Buzz team from his home in Portland, Oregon. Producer Nicholas Wootton began with a question about how coming out changed his experience on the field.

Photos courtesy Dale Scott

Web posting by Nicholas Wootton

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