Stephen Michael Palermo was an umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1977 to 1991.
18 Facts About Steve Palermo
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Steve Palermo's field career ended when he was shot in the back following his decision to intervene and apprehend the assailants in an altercation outside Campisi's, a Dallas Italian restaurant.
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Steve Palermo wore uniform number 14 when the American League began using uniform numbers for its umpires in 1980, and the number was never reassigned to another AL umpire until after the AL and NL umpire staffs were unified by MLB in 2000.
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Steve Palermo was born on October 9,1949, in Worcester, Massachusetts.
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Steve Palermo studied education at Norwich University, Leicester Junior College and Worcester State College.
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Barney Deary, who headed Major League Baseball's Umpire Development Program, discovered Steve Palermo working a Little League all-star game.
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Steve Palermo was one of the first American League umpires to never use the outside chest protector.
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Steve Palermo, serving as the third base umpire, signaled "fair ball" when Bucky Dent hit the game-changing home run.
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On July 4,1983, Steve Palermo worked behind the plate for Dave Righetti's no-hitter against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
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Steve Palermo was one of the umpires who caught Minnesota Twin pitcher Joe Niekro in the act of scuffing a baseball on August 3,1987 in a game at Anaheim Stadium.
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Steve Palermo provided the umpire's voice in Ken Griffey Jr.
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Steve Palermo was frequently the target of fiery Baltimore Orioles' manager Earl Weaver's wrath.
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Steve Palermo subsequently threw the ceremonial first pitch in Game 1 of the 1991 World Series, only three months after suffering his injury.
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From 1995 to 1997, Steve Palermo worked part-time as an analyst for Yankees games on MSG Network.
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Steve Palermo died on May 14,2017, in Overland Park, Kansas at the age of 67, following a battle with lung cancer.
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In 2003, Steve Palermo began serving as the Honorary Chairman of Assurant Employee Benefits' WillReturn Council.
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Steve Palermo was an honorary inductee into the Perseverance Hall of Fame.
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At the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City, Steve Palermo accompanied the umpiring crew to the plate for special recognition.