Major League Debut of Umpire John Bacon (70)

Umpire John Bacon made his MLB debut during Thursday's Reds-Mets game in New York, joining Acting Chief Ron Kulpa's crew as the second base umpire, alongside HP Umpire Marty Foster, 1B Umpire Gabe Morales, and 3B Umpire Kulpa. He replaced Jerry Meals, who officiated Wednesday's game at Citi Field.

Bacon is a crew chief on the 2019 International League umpire roster, which is his fourth year in Triple-A. After his graduation from the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring and stint in the Coastal Plain League, Bacon officiated the Gulf Coast (2008), Appalachian ('09-'10), Midwest ('10), Carolina ('11-'12), Southern ('12), Eastern ('13-'15), and Arizona Instructional ('13) before joining the International League in 2016.

He officiated the 2018 Arizona Fall League Championship Game, 2018 Triple-A National Championship Game, 2017 International League Postseason, and his first MLB Spring Training in 2017.

Bacon wears the sleeve number 70, which was last worn at the Major League level by DJ Reyburn, who switched to #17 one year after previous 17-wearer John Hirschbeck's retirement in 2016.

Bacon is the second rookie fill-in umpire to make his MLB debut during the 2019 regular season.
Related Post: Major League Debut of Umpire Brennan Miller (55) (4/20/19).

Bacon's most recent MiLB assignment was the May 1 Louisville-Toledo game at Toledo, where Bacon had the plate alongside crewmates Mike Wiseman and Richard Riley.