Connie Mack is to Tony La Russa, what Bill Klem is to Derryl Cousins. What does that mean? Well, for starters, a whole bunch of baseball games.
When MLB umpire, Derryl Cousins and MLB manager, Tony La Russa – who recently reached 5,000 games – meet on the field together, they signify a modern day Mack and Klem. Mack holds the all-time record of games as a manager with 7,755 and Klem holds the same but as an umpire with 5370. Cousins currently has worked more games and leads all active umpires. Here is the current breakdown:
*Top Five Total Games Umpired (among active umpires)
1. Derryl Cousins 4,294
2. Joe West 4,231
3. Tim McClelland 3,888
4. Gerry Davis 3,782
5. Tim Welke 3,646
Top Five Total Games Umpired (among all umpires)
1. Bill Klem 5370
2. Bruce Froemming 5163
3. Tommy Connolly 4768
4. Doug Harvey 4673
5. Joe Brinkman 4505
It is unlikely that either will break the Mack or Klem milestones, but certainly it is worth a mention for the careers of both the past and present in a game that can have a short memory.
*Through 5/31/11
Scott Jackson: Having gone to on average six or so games per year...
UmpsCareBlog: Great story! I appreciate you taking the time to a...
Michael Green: Great story! A couple of things I'd like to add, ...
Judith Deegan: Mike, it was great to see your video. Many years ...
Tony Siani: Gary is probably the most caring individual that I...
June 28, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Very impressive milestone. The 4294 games doesnt even cover Cousins minor league days, making it that much more impressive. Thanks to Derryl Cousins and all umps for the work they do.
June 25, 2011 at 10:10 am
@Jim: Yes, according to Retrosheet.org La Russa made his managerial debut on August 3, 1979. Cousins umpired his first game on April 6, 1979. Thanks for picking up on that!
June 25, 2011 at 12:07 am
Isn’t it true that both Larussa and Cousins made their debuts as manager and umpire, respectively, in 1979?