Charlie Reliford | |
|---|---|
 Reliford (number 18) in 2006 | |
| Born | (1956-09-19)September 19, 1956 (age 69) Ashland, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupation | MLB Supervisor ofOfficials |
| Years active | 1989–2009 |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
Charles Harold Reliford (born September 19, 1956) is an American baseball executive inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as a Supervisor of Umpires, a role he took in 2009.
From 1989 to 2009, he was a Major League Baseball umpire, originally in theNational League (NL) umpire from 1989 to 1999. He wore uniform number 18. Reliford retired from umpiring following the 2009 season, taking a job as a supervisor of umpires.
Reliford began umpiring in theminor leagues in 1982, eventually reaching theTriple-AAmerican Association. He made his NL debut on May 29, 1989.[1]
Reliford officiated in theWorld Series in2000 and2004, and in theAll-Star Game in1996 and2007. He has also umpired in threeLeague Championship Series (1999,2001,2002) and in fourDivision Series (1995,1997,2000,2004).
In Game 2 of the 2000 World Series, Reliford was the home plate umpire whenMike Piazza of theNew York Mets had his bat shatter and fly towards the pitcher's mound on a foul ball.Roger Clemens of theNew York Yankees fired the sawed-off piece of the bat toward Piazza, causing both benches to empty and reigniting the controversy that had begun the previous July, when Clemens had hit Piazza in the head with a pitch during an interleague game atYankee Stadium.
On September 3, 2008, Reliford was thecrew chief for the first major league game in history to useinstant replay on a boundaryhome run call.Alex Rodriguez of theNew York Yankees had hit a ball near the left fieldfoul pole atTropicana Field that was ruled a home run by third-base umpireBrian Runge. Although all the umpires agreed with the call,Tampa Bay Rays managerJoe Maddon argued the ball wasfoul and asked for a review; however, by rule, the decision to review was solely Reliford's to make as the crew chief. After a conversation with the other umpires, Reliford agreed to the replay and after a brief review upheld the initial home run call.[2]
