Retired MLB Umpire Paul Schrieber Dies at 54

Retired Major League umpire Paul Schrieber has passed away as reported by UmpsCare on Friday. After beginning his baseball career in the 1990 Northwest Lg, Schrieber joined the NL staff in 1998 with MLB success shortly thereafter, from 2000 through 2015; he died Thursday, November 12, 2020, at the age of 54.

Schrieber's 1997 National League debut marked a culmination of a minor league journey that took the Oregon-born umpire through the Northwest, California, Florida State, Southern League, and American Association. 

Prior to his umpiring career, Schrieber played baseball at Canada Junior College and Portland State University, serving as a catcher; his father Harry also officiated baseball at the Triple-A level (Pacific Coast League).

He officiated the 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2014 Division Series, as well as the 2000 and 2015 All-Star Game and concluded his 2,207-game career with 31 ejections.

Schrieber's uniform number 43 is presently worn by call-up Shane Livensparger.

It has been a difficult year for the umpiring community, with October's loss of Derryl Cousins and July's loss of Rick Reed, with losses of Eric Cooper and Chuck Meriwether in late 2019.

With such widespread grief in the officiating community, especially as COVID-related restrictions threaten to derail or cancel sports, it may be appropriate to revisit our prior article on mental health and our recent podcast with Jack Furlong of the OSIP Foundation. As part of that discussion, we published information about the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available at 1-800-273-8255. In addition to the hotline, one can also chat online with a trained operator.

Related Post: Let's Talk - Mental Health in an Abusive Environment (10/10/17).

Related Post: Plate Meeting - COVID Mental Health Checkup with OSIP Foundation (5/8/20).