Fred Brocklander

Frederick ("Fred") Brocklander (March 5, 1940 – August 13, 2009) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire in the National League (NL) from 1979 to 1992. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, he umpired in the minor leagues for ten years. He was promoted to the National League during the 1979 umpire strike. He retired as an NL umpire in 1992. Throughout his National League career, he wore number 28.

Brocklander was born in 1940 in the Highlandtown section of Baltimore, Maryland. As a student at Calvert Hall College High School, he played baseball and soccer. After graduating in 1958, Brocklander attended the University of Baltimore. In 1962, Brocklander joined the Kansas City Athletics organization as a minor league baseball player.

After Brocklander finished playing baseball, he officiated amateur soccer and basketball, including Division I college basketball. He then turned to umpiring in minor league baseball for the next ten years, working in the Carolina, Eastern, Midwest, and Pacific Coast Leagues.

When major league umpires went on strike in 1979, Brocklander became an NL umpire. Baseball writer John Steadman later recalled, "Some of the veteran umpires, when the walkout was settled, ostracized him. Members of the same crew wouldn't acknowledge he was in the dressing room or on the field."

During his career, Brocklander was selected as an umpire for the 1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. On September 11, 1985, he was umpiring at second base when Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record with his 4,192nd hit, a single to left-center field off San Diego Padres pitcher Eric Show. While umpiring Game 5 of the 1986 National League Championship Series between the Astros and Mets, Brocklander made a controversial call on a play at first base; the out call on Craig Reynolds was criticized by Astros fans.

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