Steve Palermo

Steve Palermo, from Worcester, Massachusetts, was widely considered one of the best umpires in the game of baseball. A former MLB umpire, Palermo worked in the American league for fourteen years, from 1977 to 1991. He attended the Umpire Development Program in 1972 after attending three different colleges without finding his calling. After just five years in the minor leagues, Palermo began his major league career, umpiring notable games in the 1983 World Series, American League Championship Series, American League Division Series, and the 1986 All-Star Game. Palermo is credited with being one of the first American League umpires to never use the outside chest protector. Unfortunately, Palermo was forced to retire from making the calls in the game he loved after being shot in the back in July of 1991 outside of an Italian restaurant. A month later, Palermo was named “Number 1” for overall performance among American League umpires by The Sporting News. A slow but steady recovery, Palermo was honored to throw the first ceremonial pitch in Game 1 of the 1991 World Series, just three months after suffering his injury.