As the MLB announced 10 retirements and promotions from the minors, Alan Porter and Adrian Johnson became the second and third Black umpire crew chiefs.
The commissioner’s office announced on Thursday that Ted Barrett and Tom Hallion are retiring, along with Marty Foster, Greg Gibson, Jim Reynolds, Jerry Meals, Sam Holbrook, Bill Welke, Paul Nauert, and Tim Timmons.
In 2010, 45-year-old Porter made his big league debut and joined the team permanently in 2013. In 2006, 47-year-old Johnson worked his first major league game, and in 2010, he became a full-time big league umpire.
In the year 2020, Kerwin Danley was the first Black crew chief. After the 2021 season, he ceased working.
Additionally, crew chiefs Lance Barksdale, Dan Bellino, Chris Conroy, James Hoye, and Todd Tichenor were elevated.
Ten fill-in umpires from the minor leagues were elevated to the big league staff, each with 156 to 473 major league games of experience: Junior Valentine, Erich Bacchus, Adam Beck, Nestor Ceja, Shane Livensparger, Nick Mahrley, Malachi Moore, Edwin Moscoso, and Brennan Miller.
Hallion was a big league umpire for 30 years and worked seven no-hitters, as well as the World Series in 2008 and 21.
In his 26 years in the major leagues, Barrett participated in five World Series. In 2018, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Boston 3-2 in a record-setting 18-inning game that lasted 7 hours, 20 minutes and 561 pitches.
Barrett is the only umpire to call strikes and balls for two perfect games—one in 1999 for the Yankees and one in 2012 for San Francisco’s Matt Cain. In addition, just five days prior to Cain’s perfect game on June 13, he was at the plate for Ervin Santana’s 2011 Los Angeles Angels and 2012 Seattle combined no-hitters.
Foster, who worked as an umpire in the major leagues for 24 years, worked the first major league games in Japan, a two-game series in 2000 between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.
Gibson, a 24-year veteran, was the World Series umpire in 2011 and was behind the plate for Arizona’s Randy Johnson’s perfect game in 2004 and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter in 2014.
During his 22-year career, Holbrook worked three World Series, including behind the plate for the Cubs’ Game 7 victory over Cleveland in 2016 that earned Chicago its first championship since 1908.
Meals has been a professional umpire for 26 years. In 1998, he was behind the plate for the Cubs’ 20-strikeout game against Kerry Wood.
Reynolds, Welke, and Timmons all worked for 23 seasons. Welke, the brother of former big league umpire Tim Welke, officiated in the 2015 World Series, while Reynolds officiated in two Series, Timmons officiated in the 2018 Series, and Welke officiated in one.
The 2017 Series was managed by 22-year veteran Nauert.
Topics #Adrian Johnson #Alan Porter #Black umpire crew chiefs