First Black umpire crew chief in MLB history

Major League Baseball (MLB) scored a two-fer among minority communities when it appointed its first Black man to the position of umpire crew chief. Kerwin Danley will hold this position with another man of color, Alfonso Marquez, who is MLB’s first Mexican-born umpire crew chief.

Although men of color have been umpires in the MLB, none has been an umpire crew chief. Crew chiefs are the appointed members of each four-umpire team who coordinate the crew and communicate via email with the MLB supervisors about upcoming games.

Danley began his MLB umpire career in 1992 as a part-time official and was hired in a full-time capacity in 1998. His performance on the baseball diamond actually started when he played for San Diego State, a stint that garnered him the prestigious First-Team All-American Award in 1983. Danley’s MLB career highlights include umpiring the 2008 and 2018 World Series, 10 post-season rounds, and umpiring first base when his former San Diego State teammate and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn hit his 3,000th hit.

Although Marquez is the MLB’s second Hispanic umpire crew chief, he holds the distinction as the first Hispanic umpire crew chief born outside the United States. The other Hispanic crew chief, Richie Garcia, was born in Florida.