Employer National League Role Baseball Umpire | Name Ed Sudol Years active 1957–1977 | |
Full Name Edward Lawrence Sudol Education Fairleigh Dickinson University | ||
'71 Ump
Edward Lawrence Sudol (September 13, 1920 – December 10, 2004) was a professional baseball umpire who worked in the National League from 1957 to 1977. Sudol umpired 3,247 major league games in his 21-year career, wearing uniform number 16 for most of his career. He umpired in three World Series (1965, 1971, and 1977), three League Championship Series (1969, 1973, and 1976) and three All-Star Games (1961, 1964 and 1974). Sudol was also the home plate umpire for Jim Bunning's perfect game in 1964. In 1974, he was the second base umpire when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career home run record.
Among the epic games he worked in his career, Sudol also had the distinction of being the home plate umpire for the three longest games in New York Mets history. On September 11, 1974, the St. Louis Cardinals won a marathon night game against the New York Mets, after 7 hours 4 minutes, and 25 innings, also tied for the longest game to a decision in major league history. The Mets went to the plate 103 times, a record in a major league game; the Cards were not far behind with 99 plate appearances. All told, a record 175 official at-bats were recorded, with a major-league record 45 runners stranded. Only a thousand fans were still at Shea Stadium when the game ended at 3:13 a.m. ET. This was the longest game played to a decision without a suspension.
On April 15, 1968, the Houston Astros defeated the Mets, 1-0, in a 24-inning game at the Houston Astrodome. The 6-hour, 6-min. contest, remains the longest shutout game in Major League history. It also had the most scoreless innings (23) in a major-league game. Sudol was the home plate umpire in game two of the longest doubleheader in Major League history came on May 31, 1964. The San Francisco Giants beat the New York Mets 5-3 in nine innings in the day's first game at Shea Stadium, and then won the nightcap 8-6 after 23 innings. The two games lasted a combined nine hours, 52 minutes.
Sudol played in the minor leagues from 1940 to 1953, mainly as a first baseman. As Sudol realized his playing career was drawing to a close, he enrolled in an umpiring school in Daytona Beach, and after umpiring in the minor leagues for multiple years, was called up to the National League in 1957.
Sudol died on December 10, 2004, in Daytona Beach; he had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.