Tim Welke

Timothy James Welke

• Height 6' 3", Weight 230 lbs.

• Born August 23, 1957 in Pontiac, MI USA

Biographical Information

Tim Welke was a big league umpire from 1983 when he joined the American League staff, until 2015. He had begun to umpire professionally in 1977, and steadily made his way up the ranks. He was designated a crew chief in the second half of his career. He announced his retirement during spring training in 2016 following knee replacement surgery in the off-season. As he explained: "I know my body couldn't go any farther. It's a young person's job. It's the circle of life."

He umpired a total of 4216 regular season games, the third-highest total among active umpires at the time he stepped down, after Joe West and Gerry Davis. He also worked four World Series and when he retired was the last umpire to have ejected a manager from a World Series game, his victim being Bobby Cox in the 1996 World Series. He also worked 8 Division Series, 7 League Championship Series and 3 All-Star Games, including the 2015 All-Star Game as home plate umpire.

His brother, Bill Welke, is also a big league umpire, as was his brother-in-law, Jeff Kellogg.

Related Sites

• Tim Welke on Retrosheet.org
• Sporting News umpire card