Tom Hallion

About

Retired Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the National League from 1985-1999, and in both major leagues from 2005-2022. In 2010, he was promoted to Crew Chief. He is known for his intense and dramatic strikeout signal in which he twists his body 180 degrees. 

Before Fame

He was born in Kingston, New York and was brought up in Saugerties, New York. He attended the University at Buffalo. While studying, he got his first job as an umpire, working for the Saugerties Athletic Association softball league. In 1979, he attended the Bill Kinnamon Umpiring School. 

Trivia

In 1999, he and other umpires resigned as part of a failed union bargaining strategy, but he was re-hired in December of 2004 after a settlement with MLB. Throughout his National League career, he wore uniform 20. At the end of the 2022, season he announced his retirement. A video of him arguing with then-New York Mets manager Terry Collins went viral in 2018.

Family Life

He is married to Elizabeth "Besty" Carnright and they have three children: Corey Nicholas, Kyle Matthew and Jacob Carnright. His mother is Alice Golding Hallion, and his father is Francis Joseph Hallion. He has two sisters, Kathy Cotich and Maribeth, and one brother, Francis Joseph Jr. 

Associated With

In 2013, he was fined by MLB for swearing at pitcher David Price.