Bruce Froemming, a major league umpire for 37 consecutive years who worked the third-most games in big league history and a record 11 no-hitters, died Wednesday, his son said. He was 86.
Froemming fell just after midnight Tuesday and hit his head on the hardwood floor at his home in Mequon, Wisconsin, and was taken to Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee, according to Froemming’s son, Steven.
He had brain bleeding that medical personnel could not stop because Froemming was on blood thinners, leading to his death.
Froemming was a semipro baseball player and started his umpiring career in the minor leagues in 1958 at age 18. He worked his way up and joined the National League staff in 1971. He shifted to the unified major league staff in 2000 and retired in 2007 having worked 5,163 games, second at the time to Bill Klem’s 5,373. They were both surpassed by Joe West, who worked 5,460 games before retiring in 2021.
Froemming started his umpiring career at a minor league game in Waterloo, Iowa.
“I thought I was in heaven — on the ballfield, professional athletes, I was starting my professional career,” he told The Associated Press days before his retirement. “But never did you dream at the time, ever even think of going to a big league ballpark, because you had so far to go through the minor leagues to even get a chance.”
He concluded that being a good umpire required “probably being patient with yourself. … You’re going to make mistakes early on.”
Among the most famous of the no-hitters he worked was Sept. 2, 1972. Milt Pappas of the Chicago Cubs retired his first 26 batters and went to a 1-2 count on pinch hitter Larry Stahl before walking him. Pappas then retired Garry Jestadt on a popup.
Froemming was behind the plate for three other no-hitters, by Ed Halicki (1975), Nolan Ryan (1981) and José Jiménez (1999). He worked five World Series.
When he retired, Froemming became a special assistant to MLB’s vice president on umpiring,
He is survived by his wife, Rosemarie, whom he married in 1957; two sons, Steven and Kevin; sister Cathy Seizer; half-brother Johnny Froemming; and two grandchildren.
