Veteran MLB umpire retires after having one of 'worst performances'

A couple of veteran MLB umpires have decided to hang up the mask and chest protector.

Umpires Phil Cuzzi and Mark Carlson announced their retirements on Friday. Cuzzi, 70, had worked in MLB since 1991, starting of as a reserve umpire. Cuzzi had received some negative attention for some terrible calls he made during a Philadelphia Phillies-San Francisco Giants game last year.

One Phillies fan called it one of the “worst performances” they had ever seen.

Perhaps the combination of hitting the retirement age of 70, plus the backlash over the poor performance, led to the decision from Cuzzi.

Carlson is much younger at 56, but he began as an umpire in the National League in 1999. He worked multiple playoff series during his career, including the World Series in 2015, 2020 and 2024.