Derryl Cousins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Derryl Cousins
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Cousins in 2009
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| Born | August 18, 1946 Fresno, California, U.S.
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| Died | October 20, 2020 (aged 74) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | MLB umpire |
| Years active | 1979–2012 |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
Derryl Cousins (born August 18, 1946 – died October 19, 2020) was a famous American baseball umpire. He worked in Major League Baseball (MLB) for many years. From 1979 to 1999, he was an umpire in the American League (AL). After that, he worked in both the American and National Leagues until he retired in 2012. He even became a "crew chief," which is like being the head umpire for a group.
Derryl Cousins started as an umpire during a big strike in 1979. He was the very last umpire from that strike who was still working when he retired.
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Derryl Cousins' Early Life and Baseball Start
Derryl Cousins was born in Fresno, California, on August 18, 1946. He went to El Segundo High School. After high school, he studied at El Camino College.
Before becoming an umpire, Derryl played minor league baseball. He was a catcher for teams like the Statesville Tigers and the Rocky Mount Leafs. He also played for the High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms and the Reno Aces.
Becoming a Baseball Umpire
After playing, Cousins decided to become an umpire. He worked in several minor leagues. These included the Midwest League, Carolina League, Texas League, and Pacific Coast League. He also worked in the Arizona Instructional League.
In 1979, he was promoted to Major League Baseball. This happened during an umpire strike.
Derryl Cousins' Umpiring Career Highlights
Derryl Cousins had a long and successful career as an MLB umpire. He worked in many important games.
- He was an umpire in the World Series three times: in 1988, 1999, and 2005.
- He also officiated in the All-Star Game three times: in 1987, 1998, and 2008.
- In 2008, he was the home plate umpire for the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. That game was very long, lasting 4 hours and 50 minutes and going into the 15th inning!
Cousins also worked in seven League Championship Series and five Division Series. These are important playoff games before the World Series.
Crew Chief and Uniform Number
In 2008, Derryl Cousins was promoted to "crew chief." This meant he was in charge of a team of umpires. He was also a crew chief for the semi-finals and finals of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He was the home plate umpire for the final game of that tournament.
Cousins wore uniform number 13. He started wearing it in 1980 when the American League began using numbers for umpires.
Major Milestones
On May 3, 2009, Derryl Cousins umpired his 4,000th game. This was a game between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics. He was only the eighteenth MLB umpire to reach this amazing milestone.
He retired at the end of the 2012 baseball season.
Famous Games Derryl Cousins Umpired
Derryl Cousins was part of many memorable moments in baseball history:
- He was the home plate umpire when Tom Seaver earned his 300th career win on August 4, 1985.
- He was the third base umpire in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. This was the game where Kirk Gibson hit his famous pinch-hit home run.
- On May 12, 2001, he was the third base umpire for A. J. Burnett's no-hitter game.
- He was the home plate umpire on August 4, 2007, when Barry Bonds hit his 755th career home run. This tied him with Hank Aaron for the most home runs ever at that time.
- He was the second base umpire for the very last game played at the old Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2008.
- He was the first base umpire when Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden threw the 19th perfect game in MLB history on May 9, 2010.
- He was the third base umpire when Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees got his 3,000th career hit.
- He was the first base umpire at the final game at Chicago’s Comiskey Park on September 30, 1990.
Later Life and Passing
Derryl Cousins passed away on October 19, 2020. He was 74 years old. He died at his home in Palm Springs, California, after battling cancer.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball umpires
