Jim Wolf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jim Wolf |
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Wolf in 2011
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| MLB – No. 28 | |
| Umpire | |
| Born: July 24, 1969 West Hills, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |
| September 2, 1999 | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Special assignments
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James Michael Wolf, born on July 24, 1969, is an American Major League Baseball umpire. An umpire is like a referee in baseball. They make sure everyone follows the rules of the game. Jim Wolf started working in the major leagues in 1999. Before that, he worked in several smaller baseball leagues. You can spot him on the field by his uniform number, which is 28.
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Jim Wolf's Umpiring Career
Jim Wolf has been an umpire for many important baseball games. He has seen some amazing moments in baseball history up close.
Key Moments as an Umpire
- On October 4, 2001, Jim Wolf was the third base umpire when baseball legend Rickey Henderson broke a record. Henderson scored more runs than anyone else in baseball history at that time.
- On May 9, 2010, Jim Wolf was the home plate umpire for a very rare game. Pitcher Dallas Braden threw a perfect game. This means no batter from the other team reached base at all during the entire game.
- Just a few weeks later, on June 2, 2010, Wolf was the second base umpire for another special game. Pitcher Armando Galarraga almost threw a perfect game. It was called a near-perfect game because of a controversial call at first base.
- On July 9, 2011, Jim Wolf was the home plate umpire when Derek Jeter got his 3,000th hit. This is a huge achievement for any baseball player.
- In 2013, Jim Wolf had to take some time off from umpiring. He was recovering from a back injury. He worked in a minor league game to get ready before returning to the major leagues.
- On August 14, 2021, Jim Wolf was at third base for another special pitching performance. Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Tyler Gilbert threw a no-hitter. This means the opposing team did not get any hits during the game.
- On July 2, 2025, Jim Wolf was the home plate umpire when Clayton Kershaw reached a big milestone. Kershaw recorded his 3,000th strikeout.
Umpiring in Big Games
Jim Wolf has been chosen to umpire in many important playoff games and special events. These include:
- Seven Division Series games (in 2007, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2023, and 2024).
- Five League Championship Series games (in 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021).
- Three Wild Card Games (in 2016, 2018, and 2021).
- Two World Series games, which are the championship games of baseball (in 2015 and 2019).
- He also worked one All-Star Game in 2010. This is a game where the best players from different teams play against each other. In 2023, he was also a Replay Official for the All-Star Game.
Jim Wolf's Family Life
Jim Wolf is married and lives in Arizona. His younger brother, Randy Wolf, was also a professional baseball player. Randy was a pitcher in the major leagues from 1999 to 2015. To make sure everything was fair, Jim Wolf would not umpire any games where his brother Randy was playing. This avoided any possible conflicts of interest.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball umpires (disambiguation)
