Bruce Froemming obit

Bruce Froemming, MLB umpire for 37 years, dies at age 86

 He was not on the list.

Bruce Froemming, a major league umpire for 37 consecutive years who worked the third-most games in big league history and a record 11 no-hitters, died Wednesday, his son said. He was 86.

Froemming fell just after midnight Tuesday and hit his head on the hardwood floor at his home in Mequon, Wisconsin, and was taken to Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee, according to Froemming's son, Steven.

He had brain bleeding that medical personnel could not stop because Froemming was on blood thinners, leading to his death.

Froemming was a semipro baseball player and started his umpiring career in the minor leagues in 1958 at age 18. He worked his way up and joined the National League staff in 1971. He shifted to the unified major league staff in 2000 and retired in 2007 having worked 5,163 games, second at the time to Bill Klem's 5,373. They were both surpassed by Joe West, who worked 5,460 games before retiring in 2021.

Froemming started his umpiring career at a minor league game in Waterloo, Iowa.

"I thought I was in heaven -- on the ballfield, professional athletes, I was starting my professional career," he told The Associated Press days before his retirement. "But never did you dream at the time, ever even think of going to a big league ballpark, because you had so far to go through the minor leagues to even get a chance."

He concluded that being a good umpire required "probably being patient with yourself. ... You're going to make mistakes early on."

Among the most famous of the no-hitters he worked was Sept. 2, 1972. Milt Pappas of the Chicago Cubs retired his first 26 batters and went to a 1-2 count on pinch hitter Larry Stahl before walking him. Pappas then retired Garry Jestadt on a popup.

Froemming was behind the plate for three other no-hitters, by Ed Halicki (1975), Nolan Ryan (1981) and José Jiménez (1999). He worked five World Series.

When he retired, Froemming became a special assistant to MLB's vice president on umpiring,

He is survived by his wife, Rosemarie, whom he married in 1957; two sons, Steven and Kevin; sister Cathy Seizer; half-brother Johnny Froemming; and two grandchildren.

He first umpired in the National League in 1971, and from 2000 to 2007 worked throughout both major leagues. Early in the 2007 season, Froemming tied Bill Klem for the most seasons umpired. Previously, on August 16, 2006, Froemming umpired his 5,000th game between the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, making him the second umpire to reach that milestone; Klem retired after 5,374 games. Froemming stands third on the all-time list of games umpired, having been passed when Joe West officiated his 5,164th Major League Baseball game on August 14, 2019. He worked his final regular-season game at age 68 years 2 days on September 30, 2007, manning the third base position as the Milwaukee Brewers hosted the San Diego Padres in his native Milwaukee. Because Froemming was then over age 65, he became eligible for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 instead of having to wait the customary five years.

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 also refereed high school basketball games, and was recommended for the NBA by Al McGuire, but declined the opportunity when NL umpire Al Barlick helped him in his advancement to the major leagues. In Froemming's first season, he was on Barlick's crew. In Barlick's first season, 1941, he worked three games with Klem.

Froemming worked in five World Series: 1976, 1984, 1988, 1990 (Games 3–4) and 1995. He umpired in the League Championship Series in 1973, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997 and 2000, all in the NL. With his tenth appearance in the LCS in 2000, he broke the record he had previously shared with Doug Harvey; Jerry Crawford tied the record in 2003, and broke it with his 11th LCS in 2005. (Froemming and Crawford share the record of 10 NLCS, as two of Crawford's 12 were in the American League.)

Froemming also officiated in a record nine Division Series: 1981 (East Division), 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2007 (all but the last 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 (played at County Stadium in his hometown of Milwaukee), 1986, and 2007, calling balls and strikes for the last two contests