Tim McClelland
Encyclopedia
Timothy Reid McClelland (born December 12, 1951 in Jackson, Michigan
) is an umpire
in Major League Baseball
who has worked in the American League
from 1983 to 1999 and throughout both leagues since 2000. He has called many important games, from post-season games to the George Brett
"Pine Tar" game
in . More recently, he was the plate umpire for the Sammy Sosa
corked bat
game on June 3, 2003 when the Chicago Cubs
hosted the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Wrigley Field
. He has worn uniform number 36 since his promotion to the AL, and kept the number when Major League Baseball merged the American and National League
umpiring staffs in .
He is currently the tallest major league umpire at 6-foot-6. He was known in the past for working in a kneeling position behind the plate (he has switched, since at least 2006, to a "box position", a form of squat) and for his deliberate strike
calls. He is noted for having a small strike zone, but is praised even by pitchers for its consistency. Major League pitcher Zack Greinke
said of McClelland's alleged tight strike zone, "For some reason, he's the one umpire that scares me. I have nightmares about him."
McClelland, a graduate of Michigan State University
, is a major league crew chief, and is among the fifteen most senior active major league umpires.
umpire four times (1993
, 2000
, 2002
and 2006
), and worked in three All-Star
games (1986
, 1998
and 2003
), calling balls and strikes on the last occasion. He has also called five Division Series
(1997
, 2000
, 2002
, 2004
, 2006
), serving as crew chief in 1997, 2004, and 2006 and in eight League Championship Series
(1988
, 1995
, 1999
, 2001
, 2003
, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 ), serving as crew chief in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009. He was the home plate umpire for the single-game playoff to decide the NL's 2007
wild card team, in which the Colorado Rockies
defeated the San Diego Padres
9-8 in 13 innings. He also worked the 2008 one-game playoff between the Minnesota Twins
and the Chicago White Sox
, which the White Sox won by a Jim Thome
home run in the 7th inning 1-0. He was also the third base umpire for Nolan Ryan
's sixth career no-hitter
on June 11, 1990.
In his first season in the AL, he was behind the plate in the infamous "Pine Tar" game at Yankee Stadium on July 24, 1983, in which George Brett of the Kansas City Royals
hit a two-run home run
, which was immediately protested by New York Yankees
manager Billy Martin
due to an obscure equipment rule. McClelland inspected Brett's bat, which had pine tar
24 inches up the handle. Because of the rule stating that pine tar cannot extend more than 18 inches up a bat handle, McClelland called Brett out, which nullified the home run. AL president Lee MacPhail
later overturned McClelland's decision, clarifying that any protest regarding equipment must be made prior to a play, and had the Yankees and Royals replay the inning. In a twist of irony, nine years later McClelland was a member of the crew that worked Brett's 3,000th hit game and was one of the first to congratulate him.
Fifteen years later, McClelland was once again behind the plate at Yankee Stadium for a famous game, as David Wells
pitched a perfect game
against the Minnesota Twins
on May 17, 1998. He also was the umpire during the 2003
game where famous slugger Sammy Sosa was caught with a corked bat at Wrigley Field during the interleague game between the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the Chicago Cubs. Sosa broke his bat hitting a routine ground out, and upon inspection of the fragments of the bat, cork was found, leading to Sosa's ejection and subsequent suspension.
when McClelland called the tagging baserunner, Matt Holliday
, safe at the plate. There were questions afterward as to whether or not Holliday actually touched home plate on his slide. Padres manager Bud Black
stated after the game that he believed Holliday did touch the plate. McClelland is often criticized by Padre fans for the call. Following the game, McClelland told The Des Moines Register that "Michael Barrett stuck out his leg, but he didn't have it planted in the ground. What I saw was Holliday kind of slide through that leg and touch the plate." McClelland defended his deliberate safe call saying that he wanted to see if Barrett held on to the ball.
On October 20, 2009 in an ALCS game between the Yankees and the Angels McClelland made two highly publicized controversial calls. McClelland called Nick Swisher
out for leaving the bag too early when Swisher was tagging up on a fly ball. Some analysts contend that video replays showed this call to be erroneous. With one out in the top of the fifth inning, an apparent double play was negated when McClelland called Robinson Cano
safe at third after he was tagged by Mike Napoli while not in contact with the base.
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
) is an umpire
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who has worked in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
from 1983 to 1999 and throughout both leagues since 2000. He has called many important games, from post-season games to the George Brett
George Brett (baseball)
George Howard Brett , nicknamed "Mullet", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 15th...
"Pine Tar" game
Pine Tar Incident
The Pine Tar Incident was a controversial incident during an American League game played between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees on July 24, 1983 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. With his team trailing 4–3 in the top half of the ninth inning, George Brett of the Royals hit a 2-run...
in . More recently, he was the plate umpire for the Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
corked bat
Corked bat
In baseball, a corked bat is a specially modified baseball bat that has been filled with cork or other lighter, less dense substances to make the bat lighter without losing much power. A lighter bat gives a hitter a quicker swing and may improve the hitter's timing...
game on June 3, 2003 when the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
hosted the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
. He has worn uniform number 36 since his promotion to the AL, and kept the number when Major League Baseball merged the American and National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
umpiring staffs in .
He is currently the tallest major league umpire at 6-foot-6. He was known in the past for working in a kneeling position behind the plate (he has switched, since at least 2006, to a "box position", a form of squat) and for his deliberate strike
Strike zone
In baseball, the strike zone is a conceptual right pentagonal prism over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing.-Definition:...
calls. He is noted for having a small strike zone, but is praised even by pitchers for its consistency. Major League pitcher Zack Greinke
Zack Greinke
Donald Zackary "Zack" Greinke is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. Greinke won the American League Cy Young Award in 2009 with the Kansas City Royals.-High school & minor leagues:Greinke was born in Orlando, Florida...
said of McClelland's alleged tight strike zone, "For some reason, he's the one umpire that scares me. I have nightmares about him."
McClelland, a graduate of Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, is a major league crew chief, and is among the fifteen most senior active major league umpires.
Umpiring career
McClelland has umpired in numerous noteworthy baseball games. He has been a World SeriesWorld Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
umpire four times (1993
1993 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 16, 1993 at SkyDome in Toronto, OntarioThe Series' first game sent two staff aces—Curt Schilling for Philadelphia and Juan Guzman for Toronto—against one another. The result was less than a pitcher's duel, however, as both teams scored early and often.The deciding plays...
, 2000
2000 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 2000 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe opener fell on two anniversaries. Twenty-five years prior, Boston Red Sox's catcher Carlton Fisk ended Game 6 of the 1975 World Series with his famous home run off the left field foul pole in Fenway Park in Boston to beat...
, 2002
2002 World Series
The 2002 World Series was a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. It was the 98th such contest between the champions of the American League and National League , and featured the AL champion Anaheim Angels against the NL champion San...
and 2006
2006 World Series
The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 27, and matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won the Series in five games, taking...
), and worked in three All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
games (1986
1986 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Mets over Boston Red Sox ; Ray Knight, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Marty Barrett*National League Championship Series MVP: Mike Scott...
, 1998
1998 in baseball
-Headline events of the year:*Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Greg Vaughn all hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break and engage in a historic chase for Roger Maris's single-season record of 61 home runs...
and 2003
2003 in baseball
-Headline event of the year:*The Florida Marlins become World Series champions, holding off a dynastic New York Yankees team, 4 games to 2.-Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champion - Florida Marlins...
), calling balls and strikes on the last occasion. He has also called five Division Series
Division Series
In baseball, the Division Series is the official name for the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Currently, a total of four series are played in this opening round, two each for both the American League and the National League.-1981 season:...
(1997
1997 American League Division Series
-Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, October 1:Kingdome in Seattle, WashingtonThe Orioles had gone wire-to-wire and the Mariners had won the AL West for the second time in the decade. In Game 1, both teams had their best on the mound: Mike Mussina for the Orioles and Randy Johnson for...
, 2000
2000 American League Division Series
-Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees:-Chicago vs. Seattle:The Seattle Mariners returned to the postseason to avenge two postseason failures in the 1990s. The Chicago White Sox returned to the postseason for the first time since 1993...
, 2002
2002 American League Division Series
-Oakland Athletics vs. Minnesota Twins:-Game 1, October 1:Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe game went back and forth with the Angels taking a 5–4 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia brought in Scott Schoeneweis to pitch to Jason Giambi, who tied the game...
, 2004
2004 National League Division Series
-Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros:-Game 1, October 5:Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriOdalis Perez faced Woody Williams in Game 1. Albert Pujols got the Cardinals started with a solo homer to make it 1–0 in the first. Then in the third, Perez reached his limit after surrendering five two-out...
, 2006
2006 American League Division Series
-Game 1, October 3:Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkA five-run third inning by the Yankees put the game out of reach for the Tigers. Bobby Abreu doubled to score Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter . Gary Sheffield then singled in Abreu, and Jason Giambi launched a two-run home run for a commanding 5–0...
), serving as crew chief in 1997, 2004, and 2006 and in eight League Championship Series
League Championship Series
The League Championship Series is the official name for a round of postseason play in Major League Baseball which has been conducted since 1969...
(1988
1988 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 5, 1988 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsIn an interview conducted before Game 1, José Canseco denied reports in that day's Washington Post by baseball reporter Thomas Boswell that he had used steroids...
, 1995
1995 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 1995 at Kingdome in Seattle, WashingtonThe Indians called on the veteran Dennis Martinez for Game 1. The Mariners rode the arm of Bob Wolcott. Wolcott got off to a shaky start by walking three straight hitters to open the game. But he would get out of the bases loaded...
, 1999
1999 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 13, 1999 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 was a matchup between Kent Mercker and Orlando Hernández. The soon-to-be-named 1999 ALCS MVP got into trouble in the first two innings. After a leadoff single by Jose Offerman, John Valentin would reach on an error by...
, 2001
2001 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 16, 2001 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, ArizonaThe 2001 NLCS began with an excellent pitching matchup of multiple-Cy Young Award winners Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux. Reggie Sanders plated a run in the first with a single to give Arizona a 1–0 lead. Meanwhile, Johnson...
, 2003
2003 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 8, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkBacked by three home runs, Tim Wakefield shut the Bombers down in Game 1.-Game 2:Thursday, October 9, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York...
, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 ), serving as crew chief in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009. He was the home plate umpire for the single-game playoff to decide the NL's 2007
2007 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champion – [Boston Red Sox]*Postseason – October 2 to October 28Click on any series score to link to that series' page....
wild card team, in which the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
defeated the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
9-8 in 13 innings. He also worked the 2008 one-game playoff between the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
and the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, which the White Sox won by a Jim Thome
Jim Thome
James Howard "Jim" Thome is a Major League Baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies. He is the eighth player to hit 600 home runs in the major leagues. He is widely considered a future Hall of Famer.-Cleveland Indians :...
home run in the 7th inning 1-0. He was also the third base umpire for Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
's sixth career no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
on June 11, 1990.
In his first season in the AL, he was behind the plate in the infamous "Pine Tar" game at Yankee Stadium on July 24, 1983, in which George Brett of the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
hit a two-run home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
, which was immediately protested by New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
manager Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
due to an obscure equipment rule. McClelland inspected Brett's bat, which had pine tar
Pine tar
Pine tar is a sticky material produced by the high temperature carbonization of pine wood in anoxic conditions . The wood is rapidly decomposed by applying heat and pressure in a closed container; the primary resulting products are charcoal and pine tar.Pine tar consists primarily of aromatic...
24 inches up the handle. Because of the rule stating that pine tar cannot extend more than 18 inches up a bat handle, McClelland called Brett out, which nullified the home run. AL president Lee MacPhail
Lee MacPhail
Leland Stanford MacPhail, Jr. is an American retired front-office executive in Major League Baseball...
later overturned McClelland's decision, clarifying that any protest regarding equipment must be made prior to a play, and had the Yankees and Royals replay the inning. In a twist of irony, nine years later McClelland was a member of the crew that worked Brett's 3,000th hit game and was one of the first to congratulate him.
Fifteen years later, McClelland was once again behind the plate at Yankee Stadium for a famous game, as David Wells
David Wells
David Lee Wells , nicknamed "Boomer", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Wells was considered to be one of the game's better left-handed pitchers, especially during his years with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched the fifteenth perfect game in baseball history...
pitched a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
against the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
on May 17, 1998. He also was the umpire during the 2003
2003 in baseball
-Headline event of the year:*The Florida Marlins become World Series champions, holding off a dynastic New York Yankees team, 4 games to 2.-Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champion - Florida Marlins...
game where famous slugger Sammy Sosa was caught with a corked bat at Wrigley Field during the interleague game between the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the Chicago Cubs. Sosa broke his bat hitting a routine ground out, and upon inspection of the fragments of the bat, cork was found, leading to Sosa's ejection and subsequent suspension.
Controversial calls
In 2007, McClelland worked home plate for the NL's Wild Card tiebreaker game between the Padres and Rockies. In the bottom of the 13th inning, with the score even at 8-8, the Rockies scored the winning run on a sacrifice flySacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....
when McClelland called the tagging baserunner, Matt Holliday
Matt Holliday
Matthew Thomas Holliday , nicknamed "Big Daddy", is an American Major League Baseball left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Holliday was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the seventh round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.Holliday is a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger...
, safe at the plate. There were questions afterward as to whether or not Holliday actually touched home plate on his slide. Padres manager Bud Black
Bud Black
Harry Ralston "Bud" Black is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher and current manager of the San Diego Padres.-College:Black played two years at Lower Columbia College in Longview...
stated after the game that he believed Holliday did touch the plate. McClelland is often criticized by Padre fans for the call. Following the game, McClelland told The Des Moines Register that "Michael Barrett stuck out his leg, but he didn't have it planted in the ground. What I saw was Holliday kind of slide through that leg and touch the plate." McClelland defended his deliberate safe call saying that he wanted to see if Barrett held on to the ball.
On October 20, 2009 in an ALCS game between the Yankees and the Angels McClelland made two highly publicized controversial calls. McClelland called Nick Swisher
Nick Swisher
Nicholas Thompson "Nick" Swisher is an outfielder for the New York Yankees. Swisher is a switch hitter who throws left-handed....
out for leaving the bag too early when Swisher was tagging up on a fly ball. Some analysts contend that video replays showed this call to be erroneous. With one out in the top of the fifth inning, an apparent double play was negated when McClelland called Robinson Cano
Robinson Canó
Robinson José Canó Mercedes is a Dominican baseball player who currently plays as a second baseman for the New York Yankees.-Family and early life:...
safe at third after he was tagged by Mike Napoli while not in contact with the base.