| Lee Weyer | |
|---|---|
| Umpire | |
| Born:(1936-09-03)September 3, 1936 Imlay City, Michigan, U.S. | |
| Died: July 4, 1988(1988-07-04) (aged 51) San Mateo, California, U.S. | |
| MLB debut | |
| 1959 | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Special Assignments |
Lee Howard "Big Lee"Weyer (September 3, 1936 – July 4, 1988) was an Americanumpire inMajor League Baseball who worked in theNational League from1961 until his death. In a1987Sports Illustrated poll of National Leaguecatchers, Weyer was rated the best at callingballs and strikes.[1] He was the home plate umpire on September 11, 1985, in Cincinnati'sRiverfront Stadium whenPete Rose collected his 4,192ndhit to breakTy Cobb's career record, and was the third base umpire in the April 8, 1974 game in whichHank Aaron brokeBabe Ruth's record of 714 careerhome runs.[2]
Born inImlay City, Michigan, Weyer had a few tryouts for the minor leagues as a player before beginning his umpiring career in 1956 on the advice of NL umpire and local residentFrank Secory.[3] He worked in theMidwest League (1956–57),Southern Association (1958–59) andInternational League (1960–61), and was first placed under contract with the NL at age 23 in1959 while he was in theArmy.[2] He was scheduled to join the league's regular staff for the1961 season, to help prepare for the league's expansion from eight teams to ten the following year, until a February car accident[4] which also took his mother's life; after six months of recuperation he finally made his debut by working a few NL games in September 1961. His ongoing commitment to theU.S. Army Reserve until July 1962 delayed his joining the staff full-time for another season; after again umpiring some International League games, he worked some NL games in August 1962, filling in forChris Pelekoudas, who was recuperating from abdominal surgery, then became a full member of the league staff in 1963 to replace the retiredDusty Boggess.[2]
Weyer umpired in theWorld Series in1969,1976,1982 and1987, serving as crew chief in 1976 and 1982. He also officiated in fiveNational League Championship Series (1971,1974,1978,1983,1986, as crew chief in 1978), the1981 National League Division Series (Western Division), and fourAll-Star games (1965, 1972,1979, 1984), calling balls and strikes for the last of these. Weyer was behind the plate on April 16, 1978, whenBob Forsch of theSt. Louis Cardinals pitched the first of his twono-hitters, a 5–0 victory over thePhiladelphia Phillies.[5]
Weyer was widely regarded as having one of the overall largeststrike zones in baseball, which was partially attributed to his large size at 6'6";[1] when teaching umpiring, he stated, "Don't be afraid to call strikes. A big strike zone gets the hitters swinging, making for more outs and a quicker game." He often liked to dig trenches on either side ofhome plate to expose the black edge portions, which are often borderline pitches between balls and strikes.[3] He wore uniform number 23 when the NL adopted uniform numbers in the 1960s, and was the only umpire to wear a white chest protector,[3] which was prominent because he almost always wore his plate coat when calling balls and strikes, even on hotter days.
In1980, after a spring training episode ofbronchitis, Weyer was diagnosed as havingGuillain–Barré syndrome, a potentially life-threatening disorder which can affect muscle control and even cause blindness. He rebounded after suffering from blurred vision, returning to the field in late August,[2] and also returned from a bout withdiabetes in1982.
Weyer resided in Imlay City until 1969, when he relocated to theAtlanta area; he later moved toLos Angeles in 1977 and toLauderdale Lakes, Florida in 1985. He married Gay Valentine Clem on November 2, 1963,[6] divorcing approximately ten years later, which he mainly attributed to her difficulty in adjusting to his umpiring career. The split was so amicable, however, she agreed to continue doing his laundry for as long as he lived in Atlanta, which she did even after she remarried.[3]
On July 4, 1988, Weyer suffered a massiveheart attack at theSan Mateo, California home of fellow umpireEd Montague, while playing basketball with Montague's children. He was taken by paramedics to Mills Hospital in San Mateo, where he was pronounced dead at age 51. Weyer and Montague, close friends who had partnered on quite a popular amateur magic act,[3] had umpired together in a game between theSan Francisco Giants andChicago Cubs atCandlestick Park earlier that afternoon, with Weyer at first base.[2] Weyer's father had died of a heart attack at age 53, and a brother had died of a heart attack at age 52. At the time of his death Weyer was engaged to be married to Linda Hickey, a resident of Long Island, New York.[3] He was buried in Imlay Cemetery in his hometown.
