Junior Taylor Valentine (born October 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball umpire. He has been an umpire in Major League Baseball since 2020, and was promoted to the full-time umpiring staff in 2023. Valentine wears uniform number 25.[1]
| Junior Valentine | |
|---|---|
| Born: October 21, 1987 Cosby, Tennessee | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 26, 2020 | |
| Crew Information | |
| Umpiring crew | F (6) |
| Crew members |
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Special Assignments | |
Early life
editValentine was born in Cosby, Tennessee and attended Maryville College,[2] graduating with a degree in history with teaching license.[1] He attended the Wendelstedt Umpire School in 2011, at which he is now the chief[3] instructor.[4][1]
Career
editDuring Valentine's career as an umpire he has officiated games in the Appalachian League, Florida Instructional League, Arizona Instructional League, Carolina League, Eastern League, and Pacific Coast League, as well as the Arizona Fall League. He was part of the umpiring crew for the 2015 Futures Game in Cincinnati and the 2019 AAA All-Star Game in El Paso, Texas.[5]
Valentine made his Major League debut on August 26, 2020, in the second game of a doubleheader between the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves.[6]
On September 13, 2021, he was hit in the face with a throw by Edmundo Sosa, but remained in the game.[7][8]
He received praise for calling a near-perfect game on May 9, 2023, missing just one call in the matchup between the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox.[9]
On June 24, 2023, Valentine called a controversial balk on Astros pitcher Ryne Stanek which led to James Outman scoring the go-ahead run in an 8-7 Dodgers victory.[10] On May 24, 2024, Valentine received both praise and criticism for a controversial "infield fly interference" double play call in the game between the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles, where he called Andrew Vaughn out for interfering with Shortstop Gunnar Henderson's ability to field a hit off Andrew Benintendi. Despite criticism from the league office,[11] the rules revealed Valentine made the correct call.[12]
Personal life
editValentine lives in Tennessee.
References
edit- ^ a b c "MLB Umpire Bios". mlb.com. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "MLB Debut of Umpire Junior Valentine". closecallsports.com. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ Woronoff, Brent (January 23, 2023). "Play ball: Wendelstedt Umpire School safe at home". observerlocalnews.com. Observer Media Group Inc. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "Staff Testimonials". umpireschool.com. The Harry Wendlestedt Umpire School. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ "MLB Debut of Umpire Junior Valentine". closecallsports.com. Close Call Sports & Umpire Ejection Fantasy League. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ Imber, Lindsay. "MLB Debut of Umpire Junior Valentine". closecallsports.com. Close Call Sports & Umpire Ejection Fantasy League. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ Shapiro, Michael (September 13, 2021). "Umpire Junior Valentine Struck in Face by Errant Throw, Remains in Game". si.com. ABG-SI LLC. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^ "Ump able to stay in after throw hits face". MLB.com. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ Joseph, Andrew (May 10, 2023). "Umpire Junior Valentine narrowly missed out on a perfect game thanks to one bad call in the first inning". usatoday.com. Gannett. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "Astros reliever goes 'ballistic' after controversial balk call in loss to Dodgers". nypost.com. NYP Holdings, Inc. June 25, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ Rogers, Jesse (May 24, 2024). "MLB questions ump's game-ending call in White Sox loss, team says". abc7chicago.com. ABC, Inc., WLS-TV Chicago. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ "MLB Calls Chicago About Infield Fly Interference". closecallsports.com. Close Call Sports & Umpire Ejection Fantasy League. Retrieved May 26, 2024.