Jerry Meals facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jerry Meals |
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Meals umpiring in 2011
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| Born: October 20, 1961 Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| debut | |
| September 14, 1992 | |
| Last appearance | |
| October 8, 2022 | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Special Assignments
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Gerald "Jerry" William Meals (born October 20, 1961) is a retired American umpire who worked in Major League Baseball (MLB). An umpire is like a referee in baseball, making sure the game is played fairly. Meals started as a part-time umpire in 1992 and became a full-time umpire in 1998.
In 2015, he was promoted to crew chief, which means he was the leader of his umpire team. He umpired in two World Series games in 2014 and 2020. He retired from baseball after the 2022 season.
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From High School to the Major Leagues
Jerry Meals graduated from Salem High School in Ohio in 1979. In high school, he played second base for the baseball team. After high school, he started umpiring local baseball games. He liked it so much that he went to a special school for umpires in 1983.
His first job as a professional umpire was in the minor leagues, which are like a training ground for the major leagues. He worked his way up through different levels of the minor leagues. In 1989, he was even featured in an ESPN show about umpires in the minor leagues. Finally, in 1998, he was promoted to a full-time umpire in Major League Baseball.
Memorable Moments on the Field
Umpires are part of many historic and exciting moments in baseball. They also sometimes have to make very difficult calls that can change the outcome of a game.
Historic Games
In 1998, his first full season, Meals was the home plate umpire for a famous game. Pitcher Kerry Wood struck out 20 batters, which tied a major league record.
On May 7, 2011, Meals was the umpire for pitcher Justin Verlander's second no-hitter. A no-hitter is a rare game where a pitcher doesn't allow any hits. Meals made a tough call that prevented Verlander from pitching a perfect game (a game with no hits, walks, or errors). However, Verlander later said he agreed with the umpire's call.
On April 22, 2014, Meals was behind home plate when Albert Pujols hit his 500th career home run. This is a huge milestone for any baseball player.
Controversial Calls
Part of an umpire's job is making split-second decisions, and sometimes people disagree with their calls.
- 2010 Playoffs: In a playoff game, Meals ruled that a batter did not swing at a pitch. The very next pitch, the batter hit a three-run home run. The other team's manager was upset and argued the call.
- 2011 Pirates vs. Braves Game: On July 26, 2011, Meals made a call at home plate in the 19th inning of a very long game. He called a runner safe, which allowed the Atlanta Braves to win. Many people, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, thought the runner should have been out. Later, both Meals and MLB agreed that the call was a mistake. This incident was very stressful for Meals and his family because some fans were very angry about the call.
- Other Tough Calls: Meals was involved in other close plays in 2012 and 2013 where he later admitted he had made a mistake. These situations show how difficult an umpire's job can be, especially before instant replay was used more often to help check calls.
Life Outside of Baseball
Jerry Meals lives with his wife, Robyn, and their five children in Ohio. As of 2012, at 5'8" tall, he was one of the shortest umpires in Major League Baseball.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball umpires (disambiguation)
