Ken Kaiser

Kenneth John Kaiser

• Height 6' 3", Weight 288 lb.

• Born July 26, 1945 in Rochester, NY USA
• Died August 8, 2017 in Rochester, NY USA

Biographical Information

Ken Kaiser attended the Al Somers Umpire School, then began his career in the Florida Rookie League in 1965. He then worked the Western Carolinas League (1966), New York-Penn League (1966-1967), Northern League (1967), Carolina League (1969-1970), Eastern League (1970-1971), and International League (1972-1976).

He became a major league umpire in the American League in 1977 and stayed on the job until 1999. He handed in his resignation late in 1999 as part of a failed ploy by the umpires union. In 2004 he accepted a settlement that granted him a severance package and benefits in exchange for not seeking reinstatement into the active umpire ranks.

He was very much in the mold of the umpires who had favor in the 1970s and 1980s, built like a football player and with a short temper, as witnessed by the 75 ejections he compiled during his career. While in the minor leagues, he worked for a while as a professional wrestler during the off-season, fighting under the nickname "Hatchet Man".

Further Reading

• Ken Kaiser and David Fisher: Planet of the Umps: A Baseball Life from Behind the Plate, Thomas Dunne Books, New York, NY, 2003. ISBN 978-0312304164

Related Sites

• Ken Kaiser on Retrosheet.org
• Sporting News umpire card