Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 31, 2026

John Boake

John Leonsor "J. L." Boake was an American professional baseball umpire in the National Association who umpired his only game on May 4, 1871, which was the first game in professional baseball league history. Boake was the home plate umpire when the Fort Wayne Kekiongas defeated the Cleveland Forest Citys, 2–0.

Last revised
Jul 31, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
127 w
Citations
2
Source
John Boake
Born
John Leonsor Boake

(1841-09-24)September 24, 1841
DiedJuly 22, 1912(1912-07-22) (aged 70)
Resting place
Spring Grove Cemetery
Years active1871
Known forUmpire
Parent(s)John and Elvira (Ball) Boake 1

John Leonsor "J. L." Boake (September 24, 1841 – July 22, 1912) was an American professional baseball umpire in the National Association who umpired his only game on May 4, 1871, which was the first game in professional baseball league history. Boake was the home plate umpire when the Fort Wayne Kekiongas defeated the Cleveland Forest Citys, 2–0.2

He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died in Covington, Kentucky. Boake is buried at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

References

References

  1. "Ancestry.com death certificate". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
  2. "First professional baseball game". retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
External links