MLB mourns passing of former umpire Meriwether

Commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement on Saturday regarding the passing of MLB umpire supervisor Julius “Chuck” Meriwether, an 18-year member of the Major League umpiring staff, who was 63:

“Chuck Meriwether was an accomplished umpire on the field, a role model for our staff and a true gentleman in life. He made a significant impact in his nine years as an Umpire Supervisor. Chuck will be remembered for his genial manner and the outstanding example he set for others, particularly for African American umpires who followed him. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to his wife Rita, his sons Jeremy and Christopher, the Major League Umpires and his many friends throughout our game.”

Meriwether began his professional umpiring career in the Midwest League in 1979 after attending the Wendelstedt Umpire School. The Nashville, Tennessee native worked his first Major League game in 1987 and was promoted to the American League’s full-time umpiring staff in 1993. In his career he worked eight Division Series, two League Championship Series, the 2004 and 2007 World Series, and the 1996 and 2002 All-Star Games. On October 27, 2004, Meriwether was the home plate umpire for Game Four of an historic World Series as the Boston Red Sox won the Fall Classic for the first time in 86 years. Three years later, the 1978 graduate of Athens State College called balls and strikes in Game Four again as the Red Sox clinched their second crown in four years with a sweep at Colorado. In 2011, Meriwether joined MLB’s Umpiring Department as a Supervisor, a capacity in which we worked with, evaluated and mentored the Major League Umpires.