MLB Umpire Information: Bill Klem

Umpire Bill Klem

A happiest of birthdays to Hall of Fame Umpire Bill Klem. Today we preview the upcoming UEFL Umpire Profiles, which will be unveiled as prospectus material during the 2013 UEFL Draft. Today's inaugural feature, not surprisingly, is the UEFL Umpire Profile of Mr. Klem.

Name: William Joseph Klem (née Klimm)
Pronunciation Guide: BILL KLEM
Nicknames: The Old Arbitrator, Catfish

Date of Birth: February 22, 1874

Place of Birth: Rochester, New York
Date of Death: September 16, 1951 (77 years old)
Place of Death: Miami, Florida

MLB Debut: 1905 (NL)
Retirement: 1941 (37 year career, MLB record [tied with Froemming])

Level: MLB

Umpire Uniform Number: 1 (As retired by MLB)

Crew Chief: Yes (also Chief of National League umpires)
Hall of Fame Selection: 1953 (first umpire, with Tom Connolly)

Career Ejections: 256 (MLB Umpiring Record).
First Ejection: PIT Manager Fred Clarke, 4-15-1905.
Final Ejection: PIT pitcher Danny MacFayden (0.1 IP), 8-2-1940.

Hall of Famers Ejected (Sorted by Number of Ejections):
John McGraw: 14 (5/15/05, 8/5/07, 9/3/08, 9/21/08, 4/25/10, 9/8/10, 5/6/11, 8/21/11, 5/3/12, 5/14/13, 7/23/15, 4/25/16, 4/27/16, 7/26/21)
Johnny Evers: 8 (6/20/08, 9/6/09, 8/13/10, 8/21/11, 9/15/11, 9/3/14, 5/18/16, 8/14/20)
Fred Clarke: 7 (4/15/1905, 8/10/09, 9/15/11, 9/10/13, 7/1/14, 7/2/15, 7/3/15)
Roger Bresnahan: 5 (5/30/06, 5/2/09, 9/24/09, 5/12/11, 5/15/15)
Frankie Frisch: 4 (7/30/31, 7/2/34, 9/2/35, 9/16/36)
Casey Stengel: 3 (8/7/23, 8/9/35, 5/9/38)
Max Carey: 2 (7/11/23, 9/9/33)
Frank Chance: 2 (8/27/09, 9/7/09)

Miller Huggins: 2 (8/20/15, 7/18,16)

Al Lopez: 2 (4/18/31, 6/5/35)

Bill McKechnie: 2 (7/11/23, 7/11/25)

Joe Tinker: 2 (9/7/09, 6/24/12)

Ross Youngs: 2 (8/14/20, 5/30/24)
1 Ejection: Dizzy Dean (7/2/34), Hugh Duffy (6/9/06), Burleigh Grimes (7/14/38), Jesse Haines (4/27/30), Gabby Hartnett (8/11/26), Christy Mathewson (6/4/06), Rabbit Maranville (9/1/25), Joe McCarthy (7/28/28), Joe McGinnity (5/30/06), Billy Southworth (7/10/29), Bill Terry (7/12/37), Hack Wilson (7/31/28).

Ejection History: 26 (1905), 15 (1906), 21 (1907), 8 (1908), 12 (1909), 22 (1910), 21 (1911)...8 (1935), 1 (1936), 2 (1937), 3 (1938), 1 (1939), 2 (1940)

Postseason and Special Events History

2 All-Star Games: 1933, 1938

18 World Series: 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1940

Notes: Buried at Graceland Memorial Park (Coral Gables FL, Section H, Block 23, Lot 10, Grave 4).
» Klem prefered "The Old Abitrator" to "Catfish" and notoriously ejected players who used the latter.
» First umpire on record to have used the inside chest protector; among the originators of visual mechanics.
» Officiated home plate almost exclusively until 1922.
» His 18 World Series assignments (103 games) is an MLB record as is his 5,370 total games worked.
» Officiated 5 no-hitters but no perfect games.

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