Background
He was born in Buffalo, New York and lived in Buffalo, San Diego, California, and Saint Catharines, Ontario during his childhood.
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Editor Runge
Edit ProfileCareer
He worked in Major League Baseball between 1954 and 1970. During his career, he officiated three World Series and five All-Star games. Runge"s first professional umpiring experience came in the Big State League in Texas in 1947.
He was promoted to the Pacific Coast League in 1949.
He became a Major League umpire in 1954, working in the American League. He retired in 1970. After his retirement, Runge said of umpiring, "lieutenant"s the only occupation where a man has to be perfect his first day on the job and then improve over the years."
Notable games
He was part of the crew that called Don Larsen"s perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.
As the right field umpire, Runge made a critical foul ball call in the fourth inning on a potential home run hit by Duke Snider. He also was the home plate umpire for Dave Morehead"s no-hitter on September 16, 1965.
In 1960, Runge testified in court against two Washington men who were accused of attempting to extort money from Runge and fellow umpire Bill McKinley.
After Runge and McKinley entered a hotel room with two females, the two men entered the room. The men photographed McKinley and Runge in the company of the women and then held the photograph for blackmail. In retirement, Runge served as a community liaison and speaker for the San Diego Padres.
Runge died in San Diego in 2002.
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Born
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Died
July 25, 2002 (aged 84) -
Nationality
American