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In 1958, an 18-year-old Bruce Froemming hopped off a Greyhound bus from Milwaukee and found himself at a minor-league park in Waterloo, Iowa, wearing an umpire's coat he bought for $20. The alumnus of Milwaukee Custer High School was getting started on a half-century of work that would place him on the same field as baseball's greatest stars.
Froemming, who went on to set the Major League Baseball record for most consecutive seasons as an umpire and oversaw nearly 5,200 games, died at age 86 on Feb. 26, according to family and first reported by CBS 58.
Froemming's career highlights are numerous, including the first game at Miller Park in his hometown and the final game of his career in the same spot, calling the season finale between the Brewers and Padres. His 5,163 games umpired are still the third most in MLB history. He worked in five World Series (1976, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1995), 10 league championship series and three all-star games, including one at County Stadium in Milwaukee in 1975.
Once he was done on the field, Froemming served as an umpiring supervisor, often overseeing games at Miller Park before retiring after the 2016 season.
"It’s been great," he said in 2007 to Gary D'Amato of the Journal Sentinel, just before Froemming's on-field retirement. "How many people can say they did a job all their life that they wanted to do? I didn’t want to be a race-car driver or anything else. I wanted to be an umpire."
The road was long to the show, starting with games in the Nebraska State League as a teenager, then to the Northern League, Northwest League, Texas League and Pacific Coast League. Perhaps it should be said the journey began even earlier, when Froemming saw a newspaper ad asking for umpires at local parks and paying $56 a week. Cut from the varsity baseball team at Custer, Froemming had time and took the job.
“Bruce is one-of-a-kind,” former MLB commissioner and Milwaukeean Bud Selig once told Milwaukee Magazine. “He was rough, tough, the kind of disposition an umpire needs. He loved what he was doing, every day. That’s the way it should be, the way it needs to be.”
Froemming recalled to D'Amato watching a game with his wife at County Stadium in the heyday of the Milwaukee Braves and dreaming about possibly standing on the same dirt.
"It’s 50 years ago at County Stadium that my wife and I came to a game to see the Braves after my first season as a (minor-league) umpire," Froemming said in 2007. "I said to her at the top of the hill, ‘Someday, maybe I’ll umpire here.’"
After 12 years of professional umpiring, he made the big leagues in 1971, a game at Shea Stadium in New York between the Expos and Mets that was cut short by snow after five innings. Froemming was part of Hall of Famer Al Barlick's crew that day. A record 37-year run in the big leagues had begun, with a total of games that finished second behind only legendary Bill Klem (with both later passed by Joe West).
Were it not for the customary in-season breaks modern umpires have been given, Froemming would have eclipsed Klem's mark easily.
Froemming never lost track of his roots in Milwaukee, though. He was friendly with Milwaukee Bucks coach Don Nelson and attended the unveiling of a statue in Selig's honor at American Family Field.
"Very saddened to learn that Bruce Froemming has passed," longtime Milwaukee sports announcer Jim Paschke wrote on social media. "Legendary MLB umpire. Unforgettable personality. Perpetually affable, congenial and flat out hilarious. Automatic smiles and laughs with him is what I will remember and cherish. RIP."
It wouldn't be an umpire's life without some high-profile calls that fan bases won't forget.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas was one out away from a perfect game Sept. 2, 1972 when Pappas walked Larry Stahl on a 3-2 pitch; Pappas was furious that Froemming had called a close pitch a ball earlier in the at-bat. Pappas still finished off the no-hitter, the last for the Cubs until Carlos Zambrano's 2008 no-hitter at Miller Park to snap the drought.
"Pappas, the next day in the Chicago Sun-Times, he said: 'I know the pitches were balls, but he could have given it to me.'" Froemming recalled for a story in 2016 after Pappas' death. "So the next day I go to the ballpark, I'm besieged by the press. (Cubs announcer Lou) Boudreau asked if he could interview me. I said: 'Sure.' In the interview, he said: 'You could have become famous. You could have become the 12th umpire in the history of the game to have a perfect game.' I said to Boudreau: 'Who was the 11th umpire?' He said he didn't know. I said: 'That's how famous I'd be.'"
Froemming later called balls and strikes for Nolan Ryan's no-hitter in 1981 (Ryan's fifth) and did eventually wind up on the field for a perfect game, at first base when Dennis Martinez of the Expos threw one in 1991. They were two of the record 11 no-hitters in which Froemming was involved.
Froemming also ejected Yankees manager Billy Martin in the 1976 World Series. In the 1977 NLCS, future Brewers manager Davey Lopes of the Dodgers was called safe by Froemming at first base on a ball that had smashed off Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt to shortstop Larry Bowa. The call allowed the Dodgers to tie the game and loomed large when the Dodgers went on to win the game and series.
In 2007, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner blamed Froemming for not delaying Game 2 of the 2007 ALDS, Froemming's ninth and final division series. That game between the Yankees and Cleveland became infamous for a swarm of Lake Erie gnats on the field that hounded Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain, who gave up a 1-0 lead in the eighth."
There were off-the-field controversies, too. In 2003, he was suspended 10 games for leaving a voicemail with an antisemitic and misogynistic slur to an umpire administrator. Froemming apologized. "I made a stupid remark and I accept my punishment," he said. "There was no antisemitism whatsoever on my part."
He was also fined in 1996 after going into the Dodgers clubhouse to seek out Mike Piazza's autograph. Froemming claimed he did it as a favor to his mother as she battled cancer.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Umpiring legend Bruce Froemming, lifelong Milwaukeean, dies at 86
Continue reading...
Froemming, who went on to set the Major League Baseball record for most consecutive seasons as an umpire and oversaw nearly 5,200 games, died at age 86 on Feb. 26, according to family and first reported by CBS 58.
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Froemming's career highlights are numerous, including the first game at Miller Park in his hometown and the final game of his career in the same spot, calling the season finale between the Brewers and Padres. His 5,163 games umpired are still the third most in MLB history. He worked in five World Series (1976, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1995), 10 league championship series and three all-star games, including one at County Stadium in Milwaukee in 1975.
Once he was done on the field, Froemming served as an umpiring supervisor, often overseeing games at Miller Park before retiring after the 2016 season.
"It’s been great," he said in 2007 to Gary D'Amato of the Journal Sentinel, just before Froemming's on-field retirement. "How many people can say they did a job all their life that they wanted to do? I didn’t want to be a race-car driver or anything else. I wanted to be an umpire."
Bruce Froemming reached the big leagues in 1971
The road was long to the show, starting with games in the Nebraska State League as a teenager, then to the Northern League, Northwest League, Texas League and Pacific Coast League. Perhaps it should be said the journey began even earlier, when Froemming saw a newspaper ad asking for umpires at local parks and paying $56 a week. Cut from the varsity baseball team at Custer, Froemming had time and took the job.
“Bruce is one-of-a-kind,” former MLB commissioner and Milwaukeean Bud Selig once told Milwaukee Magazine. “He was rough, tough, the kind of disposition an umpire needs. He loved what he was doing, every day. That’s the way it should be, the way it needs to be.”
Froemming recalled to D'Amato watching a game with his wife at County Stadium in the heyday of the Milwaukee Braves and dreaming about possibly standing on the same dirt.
"It’s 50 years ago at County Stadium that my wife and I came to a game to see the Braves after my first season as a (minor-league) umpire," Froemming said in 2007. "I said to her at the top of the hill, ‘Someday, maybe I’ll umpire here.’"
After 12 years of professional umpiring, he made the big leagues in 1971, a game at Shea Stadium in New York between the Expos and Mets that was cut short by snow after five innings. Froemming was part of Hall of Famer Al Barlick's crew that day. A record 37-year run in the big leagues had begun, with a total of games that finished second behind only legendary Bill Klem (with both later passed by Joe West).
Were it not for the customary in-season breaks modern umpires have been given, Froemming would have eclipsed Klem's mark easily.
Froemming never lost track of his roots in Milwaukee, though. He was friendly with Milwaukee Bucks coach Don Nelson and attended the unveiling of a statue in Selig's honor at American Family Field.
"Very saddened to learn that Bruce Froemming has passed," longtime Milwaukee sports announcer Jim Paschke wrote on social media. "Legendary MLB umpire. Unforgettable personality. Perpetually affable, congenial and flat out hilarious. Automatic smiles and laughs with him is what I will remember and cherish. RIP."
You must be registered for see images attach
There were some controversial moments. Froemming is an umpire, after all
It wouldn't be an umpire's life without some high-profile calls that fan bases won't forget.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas was one out away from a perfect game Sept. 2, 1972 when Pappas walked Larry Stahl on a 3-2 pitch; Pappas was furious that Froemming had called a close pitch a ball earlier in the at-bat. Pappas still finished off the no-hitter, the last for the Cubs until Carlos Zambrano's 2008 no-hitter at Miller Park to snap the drought.
"Pappas, the next day in the Chicago Sun-Times, he said: 'I know the pitches were balls, but he could have given it to me.'" Froemming recalled for a story in 2016 after Pappas' death. "So the next day I go to the ballpark, I'm besieged by the press. (Cubs announcer Lou) Boudreau asked if he could interview me. I said: 'Sure.' In the interview, he said: 'You could have become famous. You could have become the 12th umpire in the history of the game to have a perfect game.' I said to Boudreau: 'Who was the 11th umpire?' He said he didn't know. I said: 'That's how famous I'd be.'"
Froemming later called balls and strikes for Nolan Ryan's no-hitter in 1981 (Ryan's fifth) and did eventually wind up on the field for a perfect game, at first base when Dennis Martinez of the Expos threw one in 1991. They were two of the record 11 no-hitters in which Froemming was involved.
Froemming also ejected Yankees manager Billy Martin in the 1976 World Series. In the 1977 NLCS, future Brewers manager Davey Lopes of the Dodgers was called safe by Froemming at first base on a ball that had smashed off Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt to shortstop Larry Bowa. The call allowed the Dodgers to tie the game and loomed large when the Dodgers went on to win the game and series.
In 2007, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner blamed Froemming for not delaying Game 2 of the 2007 ALDS, Froemming's ninth and final division series. That game between the Yankees and Cleveland became infamous for a swarm of Lake Erie gnats on the field that hounded Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain, who gave up a 1-0 lead in the eighth."
There were off-the-field controversies, too. In 2003, he was suspended 10 games for leaving a voicemail with an antisemitic and misogynistic slur to an umpire administrator. Froemming apologized. "I made a stupid remark and I accept my punishment," he said. "There was no antisemitism whatsoever on my part."
He was also fined in 1996 after going into the Dodgers clubhouse to seek out Mike Piazza's autograph. Froemming claimed he did it as a favor to his mother as she battled cancer.
Bruce Froemming by the numbers
- MLB games umpired: 5,163 (third all-time)
- Seasons: 37 (second all-time)
- World Series games: 22 (1976, 1984, 1988, 1990 and 1995)
- League Championship Series games: 52 (MLB record)
- Division Series games: 24 (MLB record)
- All-star games: 3 (including 1975 in Milwaukee)
- No-hitters: 11 (behind the plate for four)
- Wild-card tiebreakers: 2
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Umpiring legend Bruce Froemming, lifelong Milwaukeean, dies at 86
Continue reading...
