Nestor Ceja
Nestor Ceja
- Height 5' 10", Weight 176 lb.
- School Arizona State University
- High School John F. Kennedy High School (Granada Hills)
Biographical Information[edit]
Nestor Ceja is a major league umpire who worked his first game on August 14, 2020 as one of 19 umpires to make their debut that season, a result of a number of veteran umpires deciding to sit out the year because of the Coronavirus pandemic. All of his games were in the two Western divisions. On August 22nd, he was responsible for his first ejection, tossing Martin Maldonado of the Houston Astros for riding him from the bench. He became a permanent member of the major league umpiring crew in 2023.
He was one of the members of the original class of the MiLB Umpire Training Academy when it opened in 2012 and later became an instructor there, alongside Adam Beck who was also a member of that class and also made his major league umpiring debut in 2020. His first professional assignment was in the Midwest League in 2013, followed by the Florida Instructional League, the California League, the Texas League and the Pacific Coast League starting in 2017, in addition to the Arizona Fall League. He umpired the 2016 Futures Game. Working a Texas League game on May 26, 2016, he ejected Phillip Wellman, manager of the San Antonio Missions, for calling interference on one of his team's baserunners at second base and awarding a double play as a result. Wellman threw an epic tantrum that managed to get him featured on various highlight shows, even if it was useless in getting Ceja to change his decision.
He shares a first name with Hall of Fame umpire Nestor Chylak, the only other umpire with that first name. He is active in the Umps Care Foundation, working particularly closely with Hispanic children from underprivileged backgrounds. He is a resident of Arleta, CA.
Further Reading[edit]
- Josh Jackson: "With UMPS CARE, officials connect to fans: Nonprofit organization's work spreads to all Triple-A cities for '19", MiLB.com, July 2, 2019. [1]
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