| Mike DiMuro | |
|---|---|
 DiMuro in 2010 | |
| Born:October 12, 1967 Dunkirk, New York | |
| debut | |
| July 31, 1997 | |
| Last appearance | |
| July 8, 2018 | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Michael Ryan DiMuro (born October 12,1967) is a former umpire in Major League Baseball. In 1997,DiMuro briefly became the first American umpire to work in Japanese baseball. On May 29,2010,DiMuro was the home plate umpire for Roy Halladay's perfect game,the 20th perfect game recorded in MLB history.
In 1997,DiMuro umpired in the Japanese Central League in an experiment designed to introduce American umpiring standards to Nippon Professional Baseball. However,DiMuro was stunned by the casual acceptance of abuse toward umpires;after he ejected Chunichi Dragons hitter Yasuaki Taiho from a game for arguing balls and strikes,players and the team's manager swarmed him in protest and Taiho shoved him in the chest. Other than the ejection,there were no penalties assessed to Taiho,and after consulting with officials of both the Central League and the American League,DiMuro resigned and returned to the United States. [1] [2]
DiMuro currently resides in Colorado. Upon graduation from Salpointe Catholic High School, [3] he earned a BA in Communications from the University of San Diego in 1990. He is an FAA licensed commercial pilot. DiMuro co-founded an organization called "Blue For Kids" with fellow umpire Marvin Hudson in 2004. The organization is now called UMPS CARE Charities and is the official charity for Major League Umpires.
Mike's father Lou was an American League umpire from 1963 until 1982,when he died of injuries sustained from being hit by a car. His father also wore number 16 during the final two and a half seasons of his career (the AL did not adopt uniform numbers until 1980). Mike's twin brother Ray also worked occasional games as a substitute umpire in the AL from 1996 to 1999. DiMuro retired on July 18,2019,after a 20-year career. [4]
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UMPS CARE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 2006 by Major League Baseball (MLB) umpires to provide comfort, encouragement, and support to seriously ill children in hospitals and their families. Umpire crews visit hospitals and distribute gifts to children during the baseball season as well as the off-season, The charity's motto is "Helping People is an Easy Call". As of 2017, the umpires have visited 131 hospitals for UMPS CARE events. The effort originated with umpires Marvin Hudson and Mike DiMuro, who began the "Blue For Kids" hospital visitation program in 2004.
