Mark Wegner
| Mark Wegner | |
|---|---|
 Wegner in 2012 | |
| Born:March 4, 1972 Saint Paul, Minnesota,U.S. | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 20, 1998 | |
| Crew Information | |
| Umpiring crew | 5 |
| Crew members |
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Special Assignments | |
Mark Patrick Wegner(born March 4, 1972) is an AmericanMajor League Baseballumpire.He worked in theNational Leaguefrom 1998 to 1999, and throughout both major leagues since 2000. He was promoted to Crew Chief for the2018 MLB seasonwhenDale Scottretired after the2017 MLB season.[1]
Umpiring career
[edit]Wegner has umpired in tenDivision Series(2003,2004,2005,2008,2009,2012,2013,2017,2019,2020), fiveLeague Championship Series(2007,2014,2015,2016,2018), and twoWorld Baseball Classics(2009,2013). He also officiated in the2008 All-Star Game,the2014and2018National League Wild Card Games, and the2013 World Seriesand recently the2017 World Series.Wegner wears uniform number 14, and previously wore uniform number 47. For the 2018 regular season he was found to be a Top 10 performing home plate umpire in terms of accuracy in calling balls and strikes. His error rate was 7.28 percent. This was based on a study conducted at Boston University where 372,442 pitches were culled and analyzed.[2]
Controversy
[edit]On June 2, 2007, Wegner was involved in a heated argument withChicago CubsmanagerLou Piniella.After Wegner ruled thatÁngel Pagánwas out at third on an attempted steal, Piniella, who later acknowledged the call was correct, stormed out of the dugout, threw his hat down, and started kicking dirt on Wegner. Piniella would be ejected and given a four-game suspension and he later apologized to Wegner.[3]
Notable games
[edit]On June 28, 2007, Wegner was behind the plate whenToronto Blue JayFrank Thomashit his 500th career home run offMinnesota TwinspitcherCarlos Silva.Later in the game, Thomas was ejected by Wegner for arguing balls and strikes. Toronto managerJohn Gibbonswas thrown out of the game as well.[4]
Wegner umpired at third base on the game whereRandy Johnsonwon his300th career gameon June 4, 2009.[5]
On May 30, 2012, Wegner was the target ofChicago White SoxannouncerKen Harrelsonfor ejecting pitcherJose Quintana.Harrelson claimed Wegner "knew nothing about the game of baseball". Those comments drew much ire from Major League Baseball, and Harrelson apologized for those comments.
Wegner worked his first careerno-hitteron July 13, 2013, calling balls and strikes forTim Lincecum's 148-pitch performance against theSan Diego Padres.Replays indicate Wegner called Lincecum to the tune of 97.9% accuracy, missing just two pitches.[6]
On November 1, 2017, Wegner was behind home plate for Game 7 of the World Series, which was won by theHouston Astrosby a score of 5–1 over the hostLos Angeles Dodgers.Prior to the start of the 2018 season, Wegner was promoted to crew chief.[7]
Personal life
[edit]ACatholicknown for his charity work,[8]Wegner has been involved in church activities and the "BLUE for kids" outreach ofUMPS CARE,the MLB Umpires' charity.[9]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^"Mark Wegner Promoted to Crew Chief for 2018".
- ^"MLB Umpires Missed 34,294 Ball-Strike Calls in 2018. Bring on Robo-umps?".BU Today. April 8, 2019.RetrievedJune 29,2019.
- ^"Piniella suspended four games by Major League Baseball".ESPN.com.June 3, 2007.RetrievedNovember 8,2012.
- ^Momentum of Thomas' 500th homer erased as Twins rally.ESPN.com.Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ^San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals Box Score, June 4, 2009Baseball Reference.comRetrieved August 11, 2017
- ^"Freak No-Hitter: Lincecum Dices Padres for 2013 No-No 2."Close Call Sports and the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League.July 14, 2013.
- ^”[1][dead link]
- ^Wiering, Maria. "A hero behind home plate: MLB umpire feeds hungry at Our Daily Bread,"The Catholic Review(Archdiocese of Baltimore), September 7, 2012.
- ^"UMPS CARE Charities Featured on MASN Broadcast".closecallsports.com. September 12, 2017.RetrievedAugust 14,2018.