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 William Meals, born on October 20, 1961, is a former baseball umpire from America. He worked in Major League Baseball, which is the highest level of professional baseball.
Jerry started as a reserve umpire in the National League in 1992. By 1998, he became a full-time umpire. He was promoted to a crew chief in 2015. Jerry even worked in the World Series, which is baseball's biggest championship, in 2014 and 2020. He stopped umpiring after the 2022 season.
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Jerry Meals: Early Life and Baseball Journey
Jerry Meals graduated from Salem High School in 1979. While there, he played second base in baseball. He also briefly joined the wrestling team.
After high school, Jerry spent four years umpiring local baseball games. In 1983, when he was 21, he graduated from the Joe Brinkman Umpire School. This helped him get his first job as a minor league umpire in the Class A Appalachian League.
By 1985, Jerry moved to the South Atlantic League. There, he worked with Wally Bell, who also became a future MLB umpire. In 1989, while working in the Southern League, Jerry was featured in an ESPN show about minor league umpires.
Jerry worked in Triple-A baseball from 1990 to 1997. Triple-A is just one step below the major leagues. In 2014, he temporarily became a crew chief. He officially became a permanent crew chief when Gary Darling retired.
Jerry Meals' Memorable Games as an Umpire
Jerry Meals was the home plate umpire for some very exciting games. In 1998, during his first full season in MLB, he was behind the plate when Kerry Wood struck out 20 batters. This tied a major league record!
Controversial Calls and Tough Moments
In 2010, Jerry was involved in a debated call during a game between the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays. He ruled that Michael Young did not swing at a pitch, even though replays looked like he did. Young then hit a home run, helping the Rangers win. The Rays' manager, Joe Maddon, was upset and got ejected from the game.
On May 7, 2011, Jerry was the home plate umpire for Justin Verlander's second no-hitter. A no-hitter is when a pitcher doesn't let the other team get any hits. Jerry made a "ball four" call in the eighth inning that stopped Verlander from having a perfect game. A perfect game means no one gets on base at all. Verlander later said he agreed with Jerry's call.
Later in 2011, Jerry made a call in a very long game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves. He called a Braves runner safe at home plate, and the Braves won. Many people, especially Pirates fans, thought the call was wrong. Major League Baseball even said it was an error. This call caused a lot of strong reactions from fans.
In 2012, Jerry made another incorrect call at first base involving Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees. This call ended the game and helped the Baltimore Orioles win. The Orioles then tied the Yankees for first place in their division.
In 2013, Jerry made a wrong call at home plate involving Daniel Nava of the Boston Red Sox. This call kept the Red Sox from tying the game. Jerry later admitted this call was also incorrect.
Historic Moments
On April 22, 2014, Jerry Meals was the home plate umpire for a special moment. Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels hit his 500th career home run against the Washington Nationals. This was a huge milestone in baseball history!
Jerry Meals: Personal Life
Jerry Meals lives in Perry Township, Ohio, near Salem. He is married to Robyn Meals. Together, they have five children.
Jerry is 5 feet 8 inches tall. As of 2012, he and Mark Wegner were the shortest umpires in Major League Baseball.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball umpires
