Ron Kulpa Biography

Ron Kulpa (Ronald Clarence Kulpa) is an umpire in Major League Baseball and he wears uniform number 46.

He began his professional umpiring career began in 1992 and he advanced to the Pacific Coast League in 1998.

He was one of the 22 umpires promoted in the wake of the Major League Umpires Association’s mass-resignation strategy in July 1999 and was named to the National League staff for the remainder of the 1999 season.

When the umpiring staffs from the two leagues merged for the 2000 season, Ron began working in both leagues.

Ron was the first base umpire on July 09, 2011 when Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees got his 3000th career hit against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ron Kulpa Age

Ron is 50 years old as of 2018. He was born on October 5, 1968.

Ron Kulpa Astros | Ron Kulpa Alex Cintron and A.J. Hinch

Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron and manager A.J. Hinch were on Wednesday, 3rd March 2019, ejected by Ron during the second inning of Wednesday’s game against the Rangers after arguing balls and strikes.

Ron employed an inconsistent strike zone during the first inning and he missed an obvious called third strike in a 2-2 count during Joey Gallo’s plate appearance against Gerrit Cole, forcing the fiery righthander to throw five more pitches in the inning.

Cole on the other side was two steps off the mound after releasing the 2-2 fastball, which Statcast showed was blatantly inside the strike zone. He escaped the inning allowing only one run, which scored prior to Gallo’s plate appearance.

In the next half-inning, Ron Kulpa called a borderline first-pitch strike against Tyler White and the entire Astros dugout charged toward the railing and erupted with vitriol toward Ron, who removed his mask and yelled. A.J. Hinch came out to diffuse the situation and, at that point, no one was ejected.
Alex Cintron did not cease his criticism and Ron tossed him as A.J. Hinch returned to the dugout. While Ron was still staring into the Astros’ dugout, Hinch began to bark back and Ron was ejected.

A.J Hinch layer ran out to dispute and was eventually intercepted by third-base umpire Jerry Meals — the crew chief — and bench coach Joe Espada had to physically restrain Hinch from going toward Ron and he managed the game in Hinch’s absence.

 Ron Kulpa Ortiz

On May 6, 2016, during the 9th inning of a bases-loaded Red Sox-Yankees game, Ron ruled Andrew Miller’s 3-2 breaking ball to David Ortiz, located low and outside of the strike zone by 5 ½ inches according to ESPN, a strike.

If the pitch would have been ruled a ball, Ortiz would have walked in the game-tying run. Ortiz had expressed visual disproval of Kulpa’s 3-1 strike call, a correct ruling on a pitch located within the strike zone, but caught oddly by catcher Brian McCann; Manager John Farrell was ejected in Ortiz’s stead following the 3-1 pitch, while Ortiz was ejected following the 3-2 pitch.

Ron Kulpa Carl Everett

In 2000, Ron was head-butted by Carl Everett of the Boston Red Sox during an argument about the location of the inner boundary of the batter’s box.

Everett bumped Ron with his chest, then slammed his helmet to the ground and struck the umpire in the face with his face, sending Ron staggering backward.

As a result, Everett was suspended for 10 games and fined $5,000.

Ron Kulpa Notable Games

On June 12, 2007, Ron was the home plate umpire when Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander threw a no-hitter at Comerica Park vs. the Milwaukee Brewers and five days before Verlander’s no-hitter, Ron called balls and strikes in a game between the Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics in which Boston pitcher Curt Schilling had a no-hitter until Shannon Stewart broke up the no-hitter with a single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.