Bruce Froemming, who umpired the third-most games in MLB history and a record 11 no-hitters, died Wednesday, according to a report from The Associated Press. He was 86.
Serving as a Major League umpire for 37 straight seasons -- from 1971 to 2007 -- Froemming called 5,163 games, second at the time to only Bill Klem (5,375). He was surpassed in 2018 by Joe West, who went on to pass Klem in 2021 and finish his career with 5,460 games umpired.
Among the 11 no-hitters for which he was part of the umpiring crew, Froemming was the home-plate umpire for Nolan Ryan’s record fifth no-no in 1981 and at first base for Dennis Martinez’s perfect game in 1991. He was also behind the plate in 1972 when Milt Pappas retired the first 26 hitters before issuing a walk, with Froemming making a couple of calls that received scrutiny with Pappas’ potential perfect game turning into a no-hitter.
The Milwaukee native, a former semipro player, reached the Majors at age 31 in 1971 as part of the National League umpiring staff. Froemming worked five World Series -- in 1976, 1984, 1988, 1990 and 1995 -- and umpired a record 10 League Championship Series, all in the NL.
Froemming umpired his final game on Sept. 30, 2007, at American Family Field (then Miller Park) in his hometown. After retiring, he took on a role with MLB training apprentice umpires.