Reynolds calls it a career after 24 years as ump

After 24 seasons that saw him rise to crew chief and work dozens of playoff games, Marlborough native Jim Reynolds retired as a major league umpire.

He was one of 10 veteran umpires who stepped away after the season, some motivated by a change in their pension plan that made it financially feasible.

“I grew up a baseball guy,” Reynolds said. “I was extremely lucky to have the job I did. Fenway Park was my office. I did my first game there in 1999. What a thrill that was.”

None of it was something Reynolds planned. His family moved to the Hartford area when he was young and Reynolds enrolled at UConn in 1988 as a communications journalism major. Then came a fire drill that changed the course of his life.

Reynolds walked outside when the alarm sounded and came across a fellow student he had played football and baseball against in high school.

That was Dan Iassogna. They quickly formed a friendship that centered around sports, specifically baseball. Iassogna encouraged Reynolds to take a one-credit course on umpiring taught by Huskies baseball coach Andy Baylock.

“It was basically Danny saying, ‘Did you ever think about umpiring?’ ” Reynolds said.

That led to Reynolds working junior varsity games in the spring and the varsity games during the fall season with Iassogna.

Pete Walker, now pitching coach of the Blue Jays, was one of UConn’s pitchers at the time and he made sure his teammates didn’t give the young umpires a hard time.

Iassogna saw umpiring as a vocation, something Reynolds wasn’t sold on. He wanted a career in sports journalism and had prepared for that by writing stories and columns for The Daily Campus and interning at the CBS affiliate in Hartford.

The station offered him a job when he graduated, but Reynolds decided he’d give umpiring school a shot.

“I told them, ‘I’ll be back here in six months,’ ” Reynolds said. “I never expected it would work out. But Dan and I went and we made it.”

Reynolds worked Single A games in 1992 and made his way up the ladder much in the same way players do — only there are far fewer opportunities to reach the majors.

After making his debut in ’99 with his family watching from the seats at Fenway, Reynolds worked the 2004 AllStar Game and did his first playoff series in 2005. He was part of the crew in the 2018 World Series.

Iassogna also debuted in 1999 and is now a crew chief.

Reynolds said games at Fenway were always a favorite because it kindled memories of attending games there with his father.

“That first time you walk on that field to work, it really hits you,” he said. “Sometimes it’s funny. In 2018, I was working left field in Game 2 [of the World Series] and a fan is letting me have it.

“Then after a few innings somebody must have told him where I was from. Then he said, ‘Hey, this guy is one of us!’ I had a good laugh at that.”

Reynolds was one of the best umpires in the game. Last July 14, the Umpire Scorecards website determined he called 130 of 131 pitches correctly during a Tigers-Guardians game based on tracking software.

“It really has been a privileged profession,” Reynolds said. “I’m extremely proud of it. I met my wife through baseball and we have a 13-year-old son. I owe a lot to baseball.”

But there are costs. Reynolds has had at least 10 concussions over the years because of foul tips — seven in the last six years alone.

Dr. Micky Collins, the Pittsburghbased specialist who helped former Red Sox catcher David Ross recover from a debilitating concussion in 2013, has treated Reynolds.

“MLB has been great with getting us the best care,” Reynolds said. “I’m grateful for that. It’s dangerous when you get hit that often. That was part of my thinking, too.

“I played football [in high school] and then I umpired 24 years and eight years in the minors. There was a serious discussion about the health of my head.”

Reynolds initially planned to work another year, but getting the chance to spend more time with his family ultimately meant more.

“I worked with Durwood Merrill (who umpired 23 seasons in the majors). He retired in 1999 and I was at his funeral three years later,” Reynolds said.

“I thought long and hard about it and my wife [Deanna] and I decided now was the right time. I want to help raise my son and see his soccer games. I was extremely lucky to have the job that I had, but now it’s time for something else.”

Reynolds has been heavily involved with Umps Care, a charity focused on helping children in need. He serves as vice president and will remain part of the organization in retirement.

He and Iassogna also are working with Connecticut officials on strengthening laws to protect umpires, referees, and officials on the amateur level from harassment.

“I’ll see what opportunities are out there for me,” Reynolds said. “Maybe something will interest me. But I’ve had 31 years without a summer, so I’m looking forward to that.”

The coming seasons will be a challenge for umpires. Baseball will use a pitch timer for the first time in 2023 and it will be on the umpires to enforce it. Base umpires will be charged in making sure the new shift rules are followed.

It’s not certain when — or if — MLB will use an automated system to call balls and strikes. Commissioner Rob Manfred has suggested the system would present the opportunity for players to challenge a certain number of calls per game.

Six other crew chiefs — Ted Barrett, Greg Gibson, Tom Hallion, Sam Holbrook, Jerry Meals, and Bill Welke — are retiring along with Marty Foster, Paul Nauert, and Tim Timmons.

MLB will promote their replacements from the minor leagues.