Born in
Chicago, Frantz was city champion in
ice skating,
roller skating,
horseshoes and
table tennis. He was a
pitcher and
shortstop in the
minor leagues from 1940 to 1950, interrupted by service in the
Army Air Forces during World War II. Playing in the
St. Louis Cardinals' system, he briefly rose as high as the
American Association with the
Columbus Red Birds in 1944 and the
International League with the
Rochester Red Wings in 1945. Frantz was the home plate umpire for Game 5 of the
1976 American League Championship Series, which ended when the
New York Yankees'
Chris Chambliss hit a
walk-off home run off
Kansas City Royals pitcher
Mark Littell on the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning, sending the Yankees to their first
World Series in 12 years. After the ball cleared the fence, Chambliss was mobbed by fans (who tore out second base) on the basepaths and did not make an attempt to touch home plate, instead running straight toward the dugout and the safety of the Yankee clubhouse. Frantz waited for Chambliss to return and touch the area of home plate, since the actual home plate had been dug up. Chambliss, who was grilled by teammate
Graig Nettles as to whether or not he touched the plate, was escorted back to the field once he was notified Frantz was waiting for him. Had Kansas City manager
Whitey Herzog appealed the play, the game likely would have been ordered to be continued (likely at a later date due to the unplayability of the field at that point), since rules state a runner must touch all the bases on a home run. However, given the chaos following Chambliss' blast and the magnitude of the championship game, Herzog did not protest on a technicality. After this incident, the rules were changed to allow the umpire to award any base a runner or the batter cannot reach due to fans rushing the field. Frantz and his wife Marge had two sons and two daughters. He died at age 86 in
Niles, Illinois, from
congestive heart failure. == See also ==