Jerry Layne

Jerry Blake Layne

• Height 6' 4", Weight 255 lb.

• Born September 28, 1958 in Pikeville, KY USA

Biographical information

Jerry Layne (standing) visits a veteran in the hospital.

A big man in the classic umpire mold, Jerry Layne became an National League umpire in 1989, working a few games in April and May and then becoming a regular umpire in June. He stayed on when the two major leagues' crews were merged in 2000. He had first begun to umpire professionally in the Appalachian League in 1978, then moved on to the Florida State League, the Southern League and the Pacific Coast League.

Layne has worked a number of postseason series, including the 1997 NLCS, 1999 NLCS, 2005 World Series and 2006 NLCS. He has also worked the 1994, 2001 and 2011 All-Star Games. He was one of the umpires who decided to sit out the 2020 season due to concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and after returning in 2021, he only worked a reduced schedule of games over the next three years and no postseason games (it had also been the case in 2019, when he was limited to just 18 games). He retired following the 2023 season, having been an umpire for 34 seasons and over 3,600 games.

Related Sites

• Jerry Layne on Retrosheet.org
• Sporting News umpire card