Veteran umpire James Hoye was named crew chief for the 2026 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers, Major League Baseball announced on Thursday.
Hoye, 55, will be an umpire in the World Series for the third time and this will be his first Fall Classic as a crew chief. He was also part of World Series crews in 2019 and 2022. Hoye has been a full-time MLB ump since 2010.
The other umpires appointed to the World Series crew are Dan Bellino, Vic Carapazza, Tripp Gibson, Nic Lentz, Gabe Morales and Jim Wolf. Bellino, Carapazza and Hoye are crew chiefs during the regular season.
MLB said having seven umpires allows for “distinct home plate assignments in a potential seven-game series.” One umpire will be off the field for each game. Bellino will serve as crew chief when Hoye is off the field in Game 3.
Wolf (2015, 2019) is working his third World Series, while Bellino (2021), Carapazza (2023) and Gibson (2022) are working their second. Lentz and Morales are working their first World Series.
Umpires Alfonso Marquez, a regular-season crew chief, and D.J. Reyburn have been assigned to assist with replays.
Game 1 is Friday night in Milwaukee.