Edward Paul Runge (May 12, 1918 – July 25, 2002) was an American professional baseball umpire. He worked in Major League Baseball between 1954 and 1970. During his career, he officiated three World Series and five All-Star games.

Early life

He was born in Buffalo,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and lived in Buffalo, San Diego, California, and

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2016, it has an area of , 136,803 residents, and a metropolitan population of 406,074. It lies in Southern Ontario ...

, Ontario during his childhood.

Umpiring career

Runge's first professional umpiring experience came in the Big State League in Texas in 1947. He was promoted to the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

in 1949. He became a Major League umpire in 1954, working in the American League. He retired in 1970. After his retirement, Runge said of umpiring, "It's the only occupation where a man has to be perfect his first day on the job and then improve over the years."

Notable games

He was part of the crew that called Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5 of the

1956 World Series The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees of the American League and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League in October 1956. The series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series. ...

. As the right field umpire, Runge made a critical foul ball call in the fourth inning on a potential home run hit by Duke Snider. He also was the home plate umpire for Dave Morehead's

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

on September 16, 1965.

Personal life

In 1960, Runge testified in court against two Washington men who were accused of attempting to extort money from Runge and fellow umpire Bill McKinley. After Runge and McKinley entered a hotel room with two females, the two men entered the room. The men photographed McKinley and Runge in the company of the women and then held the photograph for blackmail. He is the father of Paul Runge and grandfather of Brian Runge, both of whom became umpires in the Major Leagues.

Later life and death

In retirement, Runge served as a community liaison and speaker for the San Diego Padres. Runge died in San Diego in 2002.

References

External links

Retrosheet.org
1918 births 2002 deaths Major League Baseball umpires Sportspeople from Buffalo, New York {{US-baseball-umpire-stub