Former Major League Baseball umpire Gerry Davis
Former Major League Baseball umpire Gerry Davis attends the 3rd annual New Hampshire Umpire clinic Saturday at the NH SportsDome in Goffstown.
YOU MIGHT not know the name Gerry Davis, but if you were a Red Sox fan in 2004, he played a key role in one of the happiest moments of your life.
Standing behind first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz as Boston ended 86 years of misery was Davis, the first base umpire who called the final out of the 2004 World Series. As players poured onto the field, Davis, a then-51-year-old St. Louis native and childhood Cardinals fan, was officiating one of what would one day become a Major League Baseball record for postseason games called by an umpire.
That record — 151 games — still stands today, and Davis is one of only four umpires to call more than 5,000 games. That resume followed Davis from his home in California to Goffstown on Saturday, where he presided over a Little League umpiring clinic for nearly 200 kids and adults at the AutoFair SportsDome.
“It was special. It really was,” Davis said of being on the field for Boston’s first World Series championship since 1918. “Anytime you’re able to be a part of history like that, it’s a big deal.”
Davis also umpired the World Series in 1996, 1999, 2009, 2012 and 2017 during an MLB career that spanned from 1982 to 2021 and included 22 postseasons. He joined Little League as a senior umpire consultant and adviser in 2023 and travels the country lending a hand by training and coaching aspiring umpires.
One of those Little League umpires is Cam Bernard of Bedford, who organized the clinic last weekend.
“It’s an absolutely amazing experience,” Bernard said. “What he brings to the table, the wealth of knowledge that he has even from the major leagues, and he can give back to the grassroots level and simplify it for us, is phenomenal.”
Former Major League Baseball umpire Gerry Davis
Former Major League Baseball umpire Gerry Davis attends the 3rd annual New Hampshire Umpire clinic Saturday atthe NH SportsDome in Goffstown.
2004 World Series
Davis said it’s difficult to put into perspective the history that’s happening in front of you when the stage is so big. As an umpire, you want to be at your best for both teams and the sport, and put your own feelings and even legacy aside.
“You think about it before and after the fact, but you know once the first pitch comes down the chute, you’re concentrating on doing your job,” he said. “As I look back on it and become reflective, it was pretty special.”
Baseball has been his life.
“I’m originally from St Louis, so yeah, I did grow up being a Cardinal fan and played semi-pro baseball,” Davis said.
Ticket to ‘The Show’
When he got hurt, his manager asked him to step in and umpire during games for his travel team. At that time because of a shortage of officials, each team would provide an umpire.
“My manager said, ‘You’re going to be the umpire.’ And I said, ‘OK,’ and did it,” Davis said. “Afterwards, he said, ‘You know, you’re pretty decent. You should think about going to umpire school.’
“It had never even crossed my mind. He sent away to the umpire school for the application, and had it sent to my house. I knew I wanted to stay involved in sports in some capacity, if I could. So, I went to umpire school, and here we are,” he said.
Davis said other young players who love the game but might not have the skills to make the big leagues should consider umpiring as the next best thing.
“I wanted to be the next Bob Gibson or the next Stan Musial, but I realized that wasn’t going to happen,” he said. “But I’ve been very blessed. I’ve been able to work six World Series and the most postseason games in history. As I look back on my career, those are the ...
