Major League Baseball umpiring records


The following include various records set by umpires in Major League Baseball. Leagues are abbreviated as follows:

Total games

The following are those umpires who have officiated in at least 3,000 major league games through the 2019 season. Although the totals reflect all games umpired, the years indicate only those seasons in which each individual was employed as a league umpire, omitting seasons in which they may have acted as an emergency substitute during their playing career. Umpires who were active in 2019 are indicated in bold face; members of the Baseball Hall of Fame are indicated in italics:
  1. Bill Klem – 5,369
  2. Joe West – 5,310
  3. Bruce Froemming – 5,163
  4. Gerry Davis – 4,806
  5. Tommy Connolly – 4,768
  6. Doug Harvey – 4,673
  7. Joe Brinkman – 4,505
  8. Harry Wendelstedt – 4,500
  9. Derryl Cousins – 4,496
  10. Bill McGowan – 4,424
  11. Mike Reilly – 4,491
  12. Jerry Crawford – 4,371
  13. Ed Montague – 4,369
  14. Larry Barnett – 4,290
  15. Tim McClelland – 4,236
  16. Al Barlick – 4,231
  17. Bob Emslie – 4,228
  18. Bill Dinneen – 4,218
  19. Tim Welke – 4,216
  20. Dana DeMuth – 4,213
  21. Cy Rigler – 4,144
  22. Bill Summers – 4,121
  23. Larry McCoy – 4,024
  24. Hank O'Day – 3,986
  25. Dave Phillips – 3,934
  26. Bob Davidson – 3,911
  27. Jim Evans – 3,897
  28. Dale Scott – 3,892
  29. Nestor Chylak – 3,857
  30. Lee Weyer – 3,827
  31. Don Denkinger – 3,824
  32. Jim Honochick – 3,815
  33. Tom Gorman – 3,803
  34. Augie Donatelli – 3,775
  35. Frank Pulli – 3,774
  36. Terry Tata – 3,743
  37. Mike Winters – 3,741
  38. Randy Marsh – 3,707
  39. Bob Engel – 3,630
  40. John Kibler – 3,630
  41. Jocko Conlan – 3,618
  42. Larry Napp – 3,608
  43. Hank Soar – 3,595
  44. John Hirschbeck – 3,589
  45. Ed Vargo – 3,555
  46. Beans Reardon – 3,522
  47. Jim McKean – 3,514
  48. Jerry Layne – 3,466
  49. Gary Cederstrom – 3,461
  50. Billy Williams – 3,432
  51. Rich Garcia – 3,398
  52. Babe Pinelli – 3,398
  53. John McSherry – 3,396
  54. Tom Hallion – 3,391
  55. Rick Reed – 3,391
  56. Al Clark – 3,390
  57. Ángel Hernández – 3,371
  58. Eddie Rommel – 3,364
  59. Tim Tschida – 3,358
  60. Ernie Quigley – 3,350
  61. Johnny Stevens – 3,345
  62. George Hildebrand – 3,331
  63. Brick Owens – 3,325
  64. Billy Evans'' – 3,319
  65. Brian Gorman – 3,292
  66. Gary Darling – 3,270
  67. Jim Joyce – 3,268
  68. Greg Kosc – 3,256
  69. Ed Sudol – 3,247
  70. Larry Goetz – 3,223
  71. Lee Ballanfant – 3,208
  72. Red Flaherty – 3,207
  73. Bill Stewart – 3,199
  74. Paul Runge – 3,196
  75. Charley Moran – 3,184
  76. Frank Umont – 3,147
  77. Joe Paparella – 3,143
  78. Dale Ford – 3,137
  79. Shag Crawford – 3,121
  80. Durwood Merrill – 3,121
  81. Ted Barrett - 3,112
  82. Paul Pryor – 3,094
  83. Charlie Berry – 3,080
  84. Bill Haller – 3,068
  85. John Shulock – 3,050
  86. George Moriarty – 3,047
  87. Jerry Neudecker – 3,025
  88. Marty Springstead – 3,010

    Home plate

The following are those umpires who have acted as home plate umpire, or umpire-in-chief, for at least 1,000 major league games through the 2015 season. Umpires who were active in 2015 are indicated in bold face; members of the Baseball Hall of Fame are indicated in italics:
  1. Bill Klem – 3,544
  2. Hank O'Day – 2,710
  3. Cy Rigler – 2,468
  4. Bob Emslie – 2,358
  5. Tommy Connolly – 2,316
  6. Bill Dinneen – 1,926
  7. Silk O'Loughlin – 1,812
  8. Billy Evans – 1,757
  9. Bill McGowan – 1,644
  10. Ernie Quigley – 1,509
  11. Brick Owens – 1,447
  12. Jack Sheridan – 1,436
  13. Bill Summers – 1,364
  14. Tom Lynch – 1,309
  15. Charley Moran – 1,307
  16. George Hildebrand – 1,301
  17. Bruce Froemming – 1,300
  18. Tim Hurst – 1,286
  19. Beans Reardon – 1,258
  20. Jim Johnstone – 1,244
  21. George Moriarty – 1,242
  22. Joe West – 1,219
  23. Al Barlick – 1,202
  24. Doug Harvey – 1,186
  25. Dick Nallin – 1,161
  26. Derryl Cousins – 1,137
  27. Joe Brinkman – 1,131
  28. Mike Reilly – 1,127
  29. Harry Wendelstedt – 1,124
  30. Ed Montague – 1,097
  31. Larry Barnett – 1,090
  32. Jerry Crawford – 1,086
  33. Babe Pinelli – 1,081
  34. Tim McClelland – 1,075
  35. Jocko Conlan – 1,069
  36. Bill Stewart – 1,046
  37. John Gaffney – 1,036
  38. Eddie Rommel – 1,029
  39. Larry McCoy – 1,015
  40. Larry Goetz – 1,007

    Ejections

The following are those umpires who have ejected more than 75 individuals in their career up through the 2013 season. Umpires who are active in 2017 are indicated in bold face; members of the Baseball Hall of Fame are indicated in italics:
  1. Bill Klem – 256
  2. Cy Rigler – 192
  3. Hank O'Day – 185
  4. Bob Davidson – 156
  5. Joe West – 151
  6. Silk O'Loughlin – 145
  7. Ernie Quigley – 141
  8. Bob Emslie – 127
  9. Derryl Cousins – 118
  10. Jocko Conlan – 116
  11. Lord Byron – 115
  12. Gary Darling – 111
  13. Frank Dascoli – 106
  14. Augie Donatelli – 103
  15. Rich Garcia – 103
  16. Durwood Merrill – 99
  17. Jack Sheridan – 98
  18. Bill Stewart – 95
  19. Joe Brinkman – 95
  20. Larry Goetz – 94
  21. Eddie Hurley – 93
  22. Bruce Froemming – 93
  23. George Magerkurth – 91
  24. Greg Kosc – 90
  25. Larry Barnett – 89
  26. Bill Hohn – 89
  27. Mike Winters – 89
  28. John Hirschbeck – 87
  29. Dale Ford – 86
  30. Mal Eason – 85
  31. Tim Tschida – 85
  32. Jerry Layne – 84
  33. Jerry Crawford – 83
  34. Marty Foster – 82
  35. Dave Phillips – 82
  36. Harry Wendelstedt – 80
  37. Shag Crawford – 79
  38. John Shulock – 79
  39. Tom Hallion – 79
  40. Dale Scott – 77
  41. Ken Kaiser – 75
  42. Lou Jorda – 75
  43. Tim McClelland – 75
  44. Al Barlick – 75

    Postseason

In the postseason charts, crew chiefs are denoted by a † following the year. The position of crew chief was not as clearly established in the early years of the 20th century; for the purpose of this list, the crew chief for early World Series is defined as the home plate umpire for Game 1.

World Series

The World Series has been played from 1903–present, except 1904 and 1994. The position of crew chief usually alternated between umpires of the American League and National League, with NL umpires serving as crew chief in odd-numbered years from 1903 through 1933 except for 1905, 1917 and 1923, and again from 1995 through 1999, and in even-numbered years in 1906, 1912, 1918 through 1922, and 1936 through 1992. After the AL and NL staffs were merged in 2000, the position of crew chief was awarded to a former NL umpire every year through 2007.
Most Series
Most Series games
A League Championship Series has been played in each league from 1969 to the present, excepting 1994. Originally a best-of-five series, it was expanded to best-of-seven in 1985.
Most Series games
Two Division Series have been played in each league in 1981 and from 1995 to the present; they have been best-of-five series in all years. Listed below are umpires with at least 9 Division Series. Bold indicates that the umpire is active entering the 2020 season.
Most Series
Most Division Series games
Most games
151 – Gerry Davis
128 – Joe West
113 – Ted Barrett
111 – Bruce Froemming
111 – Jerry Crawford
103 – Gary Cederstrom
103 – Mike Winters
103 – Bill Klem
101 – Dana DeMuth
99 – Jeff Kellogg
99 – Ed Montague
98 – Tim Welke
96 – Brian Gorman
95 – Jeff Nelson
94 – Tim McClelland
94 – John Hirschbeck
93 – Angel Hernandez
91 – Dale Scott
89 – Jerry Layne
89 – Alfonso Marquez
88 – Bill Miller
88 – Mike Everitt
87 – Fieldin Culbreth

All-Star Games

The home plate umpire for each All-Star Game is denoted by a † following the year. There were two All-Star Games each year from 1959 to 1962; different umpiring crews were used for the games in each year except 1960. For all games through the first 1961 contest and again in 1966, the umpires changed positions halfway through the game; both plate umpires are noted in the applicable years.