In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump. They are also sometimes addressed as blue at lower levels due to the common color of the uniform worn by umpires. In professional baseball, the term blue is seldom used by players or managers, who instead call the umpire by name. Although games were often officiated by a sole umpire in the formative years of the sport, since the turn of the 20th century, officiating has been commonly divided among several umpires, who form the umpiring crew. The position is analogous to that of a referee in many other sports.
Ángel Hernández is a Cuban-American umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB). He worked in the National League from 1991 to 1999, and has worked throughout MLB since 2000.
John Francis Hirschbeck is a former umpire for Major League Baseball. He worked in the American League from 1984 to 1999 and worked in both leagues from 2000 to 2016. He was a crew chief at the time of his retirement, and wore uniform number 17 throughout his career. Hirschbeck announced his retirement following the 2016 season. In 2000, Hirschbeck was elected as the first president of the newly certified World Umpires Association, a position he held until 2009.
Terry Lee Collins is an American former professional baseball manager. He managed the Houston Astros, the Anaheim Angels and New York Mets in Major League Baseball and the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball. He currently serves as a baseball analyst for Mets programming on SNY.
James Michael Wolf is an American Major League Baseball umpire. He joined the major league staff in 1999 after working in the Arizona Rookie League, the South Atlantic League, the California League, the Texas League and the Pacific Coast League. He wears uniform number 28.
Edinson Vólquez is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals and Miami Marlins.
James Alfred Joyce III is an American former professional baseball umpire who worked in the American League (AL) from 1987 to 1999 and throughout Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 to 2016. He wore uniform number 6 while in the AL and number 66 for MLB. His loud and enthusiastic strike call drew comparisons to that of retired umpire Bruce Froemming. Though his umpiring was generally praised by players and coaches, Joyce is best known for his incorrect call in Armando Galarraga's near-perfect game in June 2010.
Fieldin Henry Culbreth III is an American former umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB). He worked in the American League from 1993 to 1999 and in both major leagues from 2000 until his retirement in 2021. Culbreth was promoted to crew chief prior to the 2013 season. Culbreth wore number 42 while he was an American League umpire, then changed to 25 in 2000 after the MLB umpires were unified into one crew.
Kerwin Joseph Danley is an American former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League (NL) from 1992 to 1999 and throughout both leagues from 2000 to 2021. He was promoted to crew chief for the 2020 season, becoming the first full time African-American crew chief. Danley has umpired in the 2008 and 2018 World Series and the 2007 and 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Games. He is married to Marisa Danley.
William Scott Miller is an American Major League Baseball umpire who began his career in the American League in 1997. Miller wears number 26. He has been a crew chief since the 2014 season.
Thomas Francis Hallion is a retired Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the National League (NL) from 1985 to 1999 and in both major leagues from 2005 until 2022. He was promoted to crew chief in 2010. Hallion has worn number 20 during his MLB career. He resigned from the NL in 1999 as part of a failed mass bargaining strategy, but he was rehired by MLB before the 2005 season.
Todd Frederick Tichenor is an American professional baseball umpire. He became a Major League Baseball reserve umpire in 2007 and was promoted to the full-time MLB staff in 2012. He wore number 97 until the 2014 season, when he switched to number 13.
Mark Hirschbeck is a former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1987 to 1999, and both Major Leagues from 2000 until his retirement in 2003. He wore uniform number 4 throughout his NL career, but changed to 20 when the umpiring staffs unified in 2000. His brother John is also a major league umpire, making the Hirschbecks the first pair of brothers to umpire in the Major Leagues at the same time.
Noah Seth Syndergaard, nicknamed "Thor", is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cleveland Guardians.
The 2015 Kansas City Royals season was the 47th for the franchise, and their 43rd at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals made their second consecutive World Series appearance in 2015, after winning the American League in 2014. They won the series for the first time since 1985. The team won their first AL Central title on September 24, 2015, the first time the Royals won their division since 1985. They opened the playoffs by defeating the Houston Astros in five games in the ALDS and then defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in six games in the ALCS. They defeated the New York Mets in five games in the World Series, the second World Series championship in franchise history. The 2015 Royals were the first team since the 1989 Oakland Athletics to win the World Series after having lost the series in the previous season.
The 2016 New York Mets season was the franchise's 55th season. The Mets opened the season against their 2015 World Series opponent, the Kansas City Royals. This was the first time in the history of the league that World Series opponents played a rematch on Opening Day. This was made possible by interleague play being scattered throughout the season. Despite being below .500 (60–62) as late as August 19, the Mets went 27–13 in their final 40 games to make the postseason in consecutive seasons for the second time in franchise history. They lost to the San Francisco Giants in the NLWC Game.
The 2017 Miami Marlins season was the 25th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) Marlins franchise, all in the National League, and the sixth as the "Miami" Marlins. The Marlins played their home games at Marlins Park and hosted the 2017 MLB All-Star Game. The Marlins were managed by Don Mattingly in his second season as manager of the team. They finished the season 77–85 to finish in second place, 20 games behind the Washington Nationals, in the National League East. They failed to make the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season.
Patrick Hoberg is an American Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire.
Gabriel Morales is an American Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire.
Lindsay Imber is an American musician who is the stadium organist for the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks.
