Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Umpire. He was best known for his authoritative command of baseball rules during his thirty-one years as a National League umpire (1962 to 1992). He began officiating basketball games at the age of sixteen, but switched over to umpiring softball and baseball games. He would go on to umpire minor league baseball games until 1962 when he was called to umpire in the Major Leagues. His first game was a Los Angeles Dodgers-Cincinnati Reds game on April 10, 1962 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. He would go on to work 4,673 games during his 31 years in the big leagues, including nine National League Championship Series, five World Series and six All-Star Games. The most memorable baseball moments that he umpired included the three Alou brothers (Felipe, Matty, and Jesus) batting consecutively for the San Francisco Giants in 1963, Pittsburgh Pirates' Roberto Clemente's 3,000th (and last) hit in 1972, and Los Angeles Dodgers' Kirk Gibson's game-winning home run off of Oakland Athletics' pitcher Dennis Eckersley in the first game of the 1988 World Series. He served as a crew chief for eighteen of his thirty-one seasons. He was forced to retire after the 1992 season due to knee problems. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010, he has been ranked as one of the greatest umpires in baseball history. He passed away of natural causes.
Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Umpire. He was best known for his authoritative command of baseball rules during his thirty-one years as a National League umpire (1962 to 1992). He began officiating basketball games at the age of sixteen, but switched over to umpiring softball and baseball games. He would go on to umpire minor league baseball games until 1962 when he was called to umpire in the Major Leagues. His first game was a Los Angeles Dodgers-Cincinnati Reds game on April 10, 1962 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. He would go on to work 4,673 games during his 31 years in the big leagues, including nine National League Championship Series, five World Series and six All-Star Games. The most memorable baseball moments that he umpired included the three Alou brothers (Felipe, Matty, and Jesus) batting consecutively for the San Francisco Giants in 1963, Pittsburgh Pirates' Roberto Clemente's 3,000th (and last) hit in 1972, and Los Angeles Dodgers' Kirk Gibson's game-winning home run off of Oakland Athletics' pitcher Dennis Eckersley in the first game of the 1988 World Series. He served as a crew chief for eighteen of his thirty-one seasons. He was forced to retire after the 1992 season due to knee problems. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010, he has been ranked as one of the greatest umpires in baseball history. He passed away of natural causes.
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
Family Members
Advertisement
