Meals’ big league story started on Salem’s fields
Trending
This is the second in a two-part series with major league umpire Jerry Meals of Salem.
SALEM -- Jerry Meals' path to being a major league umpire began on the youth baseball fields of Salem.
After graduating from Salem High School in 1979, the lifelong baseball fan was looking for a way to remain involved in the game.
"It was just something I thought was fun," Meals said. "I've always loved baseball and liked the umpiring aspect of it. After graduating high school, I got a job working on cars and I thought umpiring would be a good thing to do on the side."
Forty-one years later, Meals is in his 22nd season as a full-time major league umpire. As he waits for the league to resume amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Meals recounted his time growing up in Salem, as well as some of the more memorable moments of his career.
He said his love of the game started at an early age as a die-hard Pittsburgh Pirates fan.
"I went to my first game in 1969 at old Forbes Field. Roberto Clemente was my idol," Meals said. "I used to go out in the car by myself and listen to (play-by-play announcer) Bob Prince on the radio. It was a very special time to grow up as a baseball fan."
He recalled eagerly rushing home to watch Clemente and the Pirates upset the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles in a thrilling seven-game 1971 World Series.
"This was back when most World Series games were still during the day," Meals said. "I had a paper route delivering the Salem News on my bike and I remember hurrying to get done so I could be home in time to watch the games."
After four years of umpiring youth games in Salem, he decided to take the next step and attend umpiring school.
In 1983, Meals graduated from Joe Brinkman's Umpire School in St. Petersburg, Florida. That summer, he got his first assignment working in the Class A Appalachian League.
"After graduating, I was one of two in my class to get a minor league assignment," Meals said. "I originally was just hoping to umpire college and high school games to earn some extra money on the side. I never dreamed where the job would eventually take me."
Meals spent the next nine years working his way up through the minor leagues. He finally made his big league debut on Sept. 14, 1992, at Wrigley Field in Chicago. He was the third base umpire as the Cubs took on the New York Mets.
"You just think back on everything you did to get to that point," Meals said. "To this day, Wrigley probably remains my favorite ballpark because its where I made my debut and because of all the history there. You can't help but feel nostalgic walking into that place."
That was far from the only memorable moment Meals had at that historic venue.
Six years later, Meals was in his first season as a full-time major league umpire when he drew the home plate assignment at Wrigley for an afternoon game between the Cubs and Houston Astros on Wednesday, May 6, 1998.
That day, Cubs rookie right-hander Kerry Wood made history by tying Roger Clemens' single-game major league record with 20 strikeouts.
It was an afternoon that got off to a bumpy start for Meals.
"I remember on the very first pitch of the game, Wood drilled me right in the face mask," Meals laughed. "I think the catcher got crossed up on the signs."
Meals was able to shake it off and found himself with a front row seat to baseball history. In addition to his 20 strikeouts, Wood gave up just one hit in his 2-hour, 19-minute complete-game victory. Meals said he did not realize what Wood had accomplished until the game was over.
"I had no idea he was getting close to 20 strikeouts," Meals said. "Wrigley only had a manual scoreboard back then. You had fans hanging 'K' signs in the outfield, but I wasn't really keeping track. Shane Reynolds from Houston was also pitching a great game that day. When both pitchers are throwing a lot of strikes and things are moving along quickly, you just kind of get lost in the game."
Meals was also behind the plate for Justin Verlander's second no-hitter in 2011. He has gone on to umpire eight Division Series, two League Championship Series and the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
The crowning achievement of his career came in 2014 when he was assigned to work the World Series. He was behind the plate for Game 1 at Kauffman Stadium between the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants.
"That was probably the most thrilling moment for me," Meals said. "It's hard to explain the excitement of being on the field for a World Series game and having your family there," Meals said. "It was a very gratifying experience."
Like pretty much every other umpire at any level, Meals has had his share of on-field run-ins with angry players and managers over the years. He said the biggest key to dealing with the pressure and scrutiny of the job was not to take anything personal.
"Some of ejections are actually pretty funny, others not so much," Meals said. "You have to learn to take things with a grain of salt and not dwell on the negative stuff, the next big call could be right around the corner. It's a great job, but also a very humbling job, you always have to be learning from your mistakes. All you can do is go out there, do your best and call what you see."