Chad Fairchild: A Career Behind the Plate in Major League Baseball

Nov 06, 2025 0

Chad Fairchild, born on Wednesday, December 30, 1970, in Wakeman, Ohio, has been a fixture in Major League Baseball as an umpire. Fairchild works as an umpire with Major League Baseball. He began his MLB journey on September 30, 2004, and continues to be an active umpire, contributing his expertise to the sport.

Image of a baseball umpire

Welcome to Better Know An Umpire, an effort to educate ourselves on the human elements who have ultimate decision-making power over some 2,500 Major League Baseball games a year. Chad Fairchild's career is marked by a dedication to the game, having worked his way through various leagues to reach the majors.

Early Career and Progression

Fairchild honed his skills in the Gulf Coast League, New York-Penn League, South Atlantic League, Florida State League, Southern League, and International League, gaining invaluable experience before his major league debut. True fact: Was not named a full-time MLB umpire until 2010, after 13 years of work in the minor leagues.

Before 1947, four-man crews worked the World Series. From 1947 through 1963, there were six-man crews at the World Series.

Key Statistics and Highlights

Here's a snapshot of Chad Fairchild's career through the 2011 season:

Read also: The Life of Chad Everett Harris

Uniform number: 75
Age (as of 2011): 41
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
First year as MLB umpire: 2004
Total MLB games worked through 2011: 828 (home plate: 192)
Career ejections: 20 (50 ejections during his 22-year career)
No-hitters called: None
Over/under record (2004-2011): 69-73

Average K/9 (2011): 13.8Average BB/9 (2011): 7.0

Chad umpired his first major league game on September 30, 2004, and is still an active umpire. Every game Chad Fairchild umpired appears below, along with biographical information, and ejection data - where applicable.

Notable Moments and Controversies

Fairchild's career hasn't been without its share of memorable and controversial moments. Here are a few instances that have drawn attention:

Notable alleged blown calls: Tigers-Braves, June 23, 2007; Cubs-White Sox, June 29, 2008; Phillies-Marlins, September 4, 2011; Rays-Red Sox, July 17, 2011.
Claim to fame: Getting whacked in the head by David Ortiz's bat last July and cursing on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.

BOS@NYY: Ortiz strikes out, disagrees and gets tossed

Scouting Reports and Assessments

Evaluations of Fairchild's performance have varied, with some highlighting his strengths and weaknesses.

Read also: "Married to Evil": Chad Graves

Scouting report from Major League Umpires' Performance, 2007-2010, by Andy Goldblatt: It's hard to conclude whether he favors pitchers or hitters or is neutral because his four-year totals are all over the map. ... On the basis of his high R/9, he's rated a hitters' umpire.

Scouting report from CBSSports.com's Matt Snyder: Joe West, Angel Hernandez, Chad Fairchild and Paul Schrieber are the worst umpiring crew in the majors, and it's not even close. If it was simply a competence issue, that might be a bit less of a problem. You can fix incompetence through more training. No, the problem is way worse. It's a crew that has a mental issue in terms of being accountable and lacking the most needed skill in officiating a sport.

Umpire Crews and Assignments

Fairchild has been part of various umpire crews throughout his career. The MLB Umpire Crew list features 76 umpires in 19 crews.

Example Crew Assignments:

ALDS: TAMPA BAY RAYS VS. 1B D.J.
ALDS: HOUSTON ASTROS VS.
NLDS: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS VS.
NLDS: MILWAUKEE BREWERS VS.
ALCS: HOUSTON ASTROS VS.
THE HOUSTON ASTROS VS.

Umpires will be rotated through New York to review video feeds. Ballpark will have a designated communication location near home plate. Access to a hard-wired headset connected to the Replay Command Center.

Example of Umpire Crew

Additional Information

Chad Fairchild during his 22-year career as an umpire in the major leagues, made 50 ejections during his career?

Read also: Vallow-Daybell Trial: Key Evidence

Sample PITCHf/x strike zone: July 31, 2007. Tom Glavine was attempting to win his 300th career game and had more than two dozen family members in attendance in Milwaukee, but Fairchild's tight zone (especially outside to right-handed batters) dogged Glavine, who got a no-decision.