Red Sox History: Gene Conley, Pumpsie Green Disappear from Bus
By David Hill
Most days, a 13-3 loss at the hands of a hated rival would be the worst thing that would happen. For the Boston Red Sox, on this day in 1962, that was trumped when pitcher Gene Conley and infielder Pumpsie Green disappeared after leaving the team bus.
Gene Conley had a rough day for the Boston Red Sox on this day in 1962. Starting against the hated New York Yankees, he did not get out of the third inning, allowing eight runs on five hits and four walks in 2.2 innings of work. His day did not get any better after the game, as the Red Sox team bus got stuck in a traffic jam when the call of nature occurred.
What happened next seemed as though it would be the plot of some 1980’s move about two teenage screwups finding themselves in the middle of the big city. Conley and his good friend Pumpsie Green, best known for being the first black player in the history of the Red Sox, left the bus to use the bathroom. When they returned, the bus was gone, leaving the two ballplayers on their own.
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After they determined that they would just disappear, passing the time at the local bar. While Green would return to the team the next day, Conley decided to remain on his own, checking into the Waldorf. There, watching the local news, he learned that people were looking for him. Thinking that the situation was amusing, he remained in his hotel or at Toot’s Shor, drinking beer.
Over the course of his time away from the Red Sox, Conley decided that he wanted to go to Israel. As such, he went to Idlewild International Airport, where he attempted to board an airplane with neither a passport nor luggage. Spotted by a reporter for the New York Post, Conley returned to Boston.
There, team owner Tom Yawkey fined Conley, but then offered him a drink. Reportedly, he answered with a straight face that he “didn’t touch the stuff” and left the office. Understandably, neither Green nor Conley were long for Boston, with Green being traded to the Mets that offseason and Conley lasting one more year with the Red Sox before being released.
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Gene Conley was quite the character during his career, and on this day in 1962, he and his pal Pumpsie Green went AWOL from the Red Sox, enjoying their own adventures.