Joseph Norbert Brinkman was born on April 9,1944 and is an American former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1972 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues from 2000 until his retirement during the 2006 season.
21 Facts About Joe Brinkman
1.
2.
Joe Brinkman is fifth all time in number of games worked in the Major Leagues.
3.
Joe Brinkman officiated in five American League Championship Series, and in three All-Star games, calling balls and strikes in 1991.
4.
Joe Brinkman worked the Division Series in 1981,1995,1998,1999,2004 and 2005.
5.
Joe Brinkman served as the crew chief for the ALCS in 1987 and 1997, and for the 2005 NLDS.
6.
Joe Brinkman worked home plate for the final game at Comiskey Park in 1990.
7.
Joe Brinkman was the crew chief during the Pine Tar Incident between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees on July 24,1983.
8.
Brett immediately ran out of the dugout toward the umpires, and disputed the call so vehemently that Joe Brinkman had to grab him around the neck to keep him from attacking McClelland.
9.
Joe Brinkman recovered Brett's bat, having caught a batboy attempting to hide it in the Royals' clubhouse.
10.
Joe Brinkman had provided an affidavit stating that Brett and baserunner U L Washington had touched all the bases, anticipating appeal plays by Yankees manager Billy Martin to state that the runners missed at least one base.
11.
Joe Brinkman wore uniform number 15 from the year the AL adopted uniform numbers in 1980, and kept the number when MLB took over supervision of a combined umpiring staff in 2000.
12.
Joe Brinkman was one of the last active umpires to have worn the red blazers that were part of the AL's umpiring uniforms from 1973 through 1979.
13.
When Joe Brinkman retired, he was the last active umpire to have used the outside chest protector, which was required for AL umpires through the 1974 season.
14.
Joe Brinkman was not the last umpire to wear the "balloon" protector, having switched to the inside protector in 1980.
15.
Joe Brinkman was the last active umpire to have worked in the American League prior to the establishment of the Designated Hitter for the 1973 season.
16.
Joe Brinkman came up for three games late in the 1972 season, before joining the AL staff full-time in 1973.
17.
Joe Brinkman sold this to fellow AL umpire Jim Evans in the late 1990s.
18.
Joe Brinkman was prominent in union affairs for both the Major League Umpire's Association and the newly formed World Umpire's Association.
19.
Joe Brinkman was the left field umpire for Game 5 of the 1995 American League Division Series between the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees, meaning he was the umpire who officially ruled Edgar Martinez's famous double a fair ball.
20.
Joe Brinkman was the home plate umpire for Game 6 of the 1995 World Series between the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves.
21.
Joe Brinkman was raised in Holdingford, Minnesota, and graduated from Holdingford High School.