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Bruce Froemming

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Bruce Neal Froemming (born September 28, 1939 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is the most senior active umpire in Major League Baseball. He first umpired in the National League in 1971, and since 2000 has worked throughout both major leagues. His 34 years of service place him in a tie with Tommy Connolly for the 3rd-longest umpiring career in major league history, trailing only Bob Emslie (35 years) and Bill Klem (37).

After a brief semi-pro playing career, Froemming became the youngest umpire in professional baseball in 1958 at age 18, working his way up through the minor leagues to the Pacific Coast League before joining the NL staff in April 1971. While in the minor leagues, his work had caught the attention of skilled observers such as Hall of Famer Jocko Conlan. Froemming became one of the NL's six crew chiefs in 1988.

He has worked in 5 World Series: 1976, 1984, 1988, 1990 (Games 3-4) and 1995. He has umpired in a record 10 League Championship Series (1973, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2000), all in the NL, and also in a record 8 Division Series: 1981 (East Division), 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003 (also all in the NL). He was the home plate umpire for the playoff games to determine the NL wild-card team in both 1998 and 1999. He also umpired in the All-Star Game in 1975 and 1986, calling balls and strikes for the second contest.

Through the 2003 season, he has umpired a record 107 career postseason games, surpassing the mark of Klem, who worked in 104 games (all in the World Series). He has officiated in 22 World Series games, 52 NLCS games and 33 NLDS games.

On September 3, 2001, Froemming was the second base umpire for the no-hitter pitched by Bud Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals. That game marked the record 11th time he had umpired in an official no-hitter; he had previously shared the record of 10 with Silk O'Loughlin, Paul Pryor and Jim McKean. On September 26, 1981, he was behind the plate for Nolan Ryan's record 5th no-hitter. He was also calling balls and strikes on September 2, 1972, when Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas had a perfect game with two out in the ninth inning before walking the 27th batter; Pappas then completed the no-hitter, but later criticized Froemming for wasting his chance at immortality. Froemming was the first base umpire for Dennis Martinez' perfect game on July 28, 1991. Two days earlier, he also umpired in what would have been a 12th no-hitter, but Montreal's Mark Gardner surrendered three hits in the 10th inning and lost; under current guidelines, baseball does not recognize games of nine hitless innings as no-hitters if hits are given up in extra innings.

In April 2001, Froemming was the home plate umpire for the first game at Miller Park in his hometown of Milwaukee.

Quote

  • "It's great to see a young umpire like that. He's a nice boy, conscientious, hardworking, a million-dollar heart. And guts. They told me that he put an announcer out of the ball park one night in Tulsa. The announcer made some remark or other over the public address system about the umpire. Froemming stopped the game, turned to the announcer and said, 'Get out.' When I heard about that, I said, 'This is something. I'd like to see that, making an announcer leave the ball park.'" - Jocko Conlan, in his 1967 autobiography Jocko
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