Mark Hirschbeck

Mark Hirschbeck

Mark Hirschbeck (born September 22, 1960 in Bridgeport, Connecticut) is a former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1987 to 1999, and both Major Leagues from 2000 until his retirement in 2003. He wore uniform number 4 (previously worn by former NL umpire Satch Davidson) throughout his career.[1] His brother John is also a Major League umpire, making the Hirschbecks the first pair of brothers to umpire in the Major Leagues at the same time.[2]

Mark Hirschbeck's assignments included the 1997, 1999 and 2002 National League Division Series, the 2001 American League Division Series, the 1996 NLCS, the 2000 ALCS, and the 1998 and 2001 World Series. Hirschbeck also officiated the 1993 and 2000 All-Star Games.[1]

Hirschbeck was forced to retire 7 games into the 2003 season after it was discovered that he needed a hip replacement in order to umpire in the future. Although Hirschbeck originally had hoped to return to umpiring after he recovered from his surgery, his ceramic implant cracked six weeks after the operation.[3] About two months later, a staph infection formed in Hirschbeck's hip, and he was eventually forced to retire for good. Hirschbeck later sued Wright Medical Technology, the company that made the ceramic prosthetic, as well as the doctor who performed the surgery. A settlement was reached between the two sides shortly before the trial began.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "Mark Hirschbeck". Retrosheet.org. Retrosheet. http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/Phirsm901.htm. Retrieved 2011-08-29. 
  2. ^ Lisa Pollak. "The 1997 Pulitzer Prize Winners Feature Writing". Pulitzer.org. http://www.pulitzer.org/works/1997-Feature-Writing. Retrieved 2011-08-29. 
  3. ^ Armstrong, David (June 11, 2010). "Ex-baseball ump claims botched hip surgery ruined his career". Connecticut Post. http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Ex-baseball-ump-claims-botched-hip-surgery-ruined-520845.php. Retrieved 2011-08-29. 
  4. ^ Nolan, Christian (May 9, 2011). "Former Ump Calls Out Artificial Hip Maker". Connecticut Law Tribune. http://www.ctlawtribune.com/getarticle.aspx?ID=40439. Retrieved 2011-08-29. 
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