Ed Runge

Born: May 12, 1918 in New York
Died: July 25, 2002
Debut: 1954 | Pos: Major League Umpire

Ed Runge, an American League umpire from 1954 to 1970, died July 25, 2002 at the age of 84. He was the leading figure of a family that has produced three generations of Major League umpires.

His son, Paul, was an umpire in the National League from 1974-1997 and served as the league's director of umpires in 1998-99. His grandson became part of the National League staff in 1999.

Runge was born in New York on May 12, 1918. He became an umpire in the Big State League in 1947 and moved to the Pacific Coast League in 1949. Some of the biggest games he called in his career include the World Series in 1956, 1961 and 1967; the All-Star Game in 1955, 1959 and 1967 and the first American League Championship Series in 1969. He was the right-field umpire for Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956 World Series at Yankee Stadium.

He threw out the first pitch in Game 2 of the 1984 World Series. His son, Paul, was a part of the crew for that game.

"It's the only occupation where a man has to be perfect his first day on the job and then improve over the years," Runge said in a 1973 interview.

Carl Yastrezemksi once joked with Rung about his standing among umpires.

"Ed, you're the second best umpire in the league. The other 23 are tied for first."