C.B. Bucknor

Christopher Blake Bucknor
also known as CB Bucknor

• Height 6' 2", Weight 215 lbs.

• College State University of New York College at Cortland

• Born August 23, 1962 in Savanna la Mar Jamaica

Biographical Information

C.B. Bucknor has been a major league umpire since 1996, when he was part of the National League staff. He was voted three times the major leagues' worst umpire in a poll of players conducted by ESPN - in 2003, 2006 and 2010. [1]. While not designated a crew chief, he has served in the position on an interim basis during absences of Jeff Nelson.

He has had relatively few prestigious assignments for an umpire with his lengthy tenure, with two All-Star Games (in 2005 and 2021), a number of Wild Card Games/Wild Card Series and Division series, but no League Championship Series or World Series.

On June 4, 2022, he was the first umpire to have to invoke the rule preventing position players from pitching in games other than blow-out games with a difference of six runs or more. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tried to use Zach McKinstry as his pitcher in the 9th inning with his team trailing the New York Mets, 9-4, and Bucknor objected, forcing him - after MLB Headquarters in New York were consulted to confirm his ruling when Roberts objected - to use regular pitcher Evan Phillips instead. The rule had been adopted before the 2020 season but put on hold for two years, along with other changes caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

He had a rough day at the office on March 28, 2026, as in his first game as the home plate umpire following the introduction of the ABS Challenge System, his calls were overturned no less than six times in a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox, setting the early record in the category.

Further Reading

• Joe Reedy (Associated Press): "Umpires bar Dodgers' Roberts from pitching position player", Yahoo! News, June 5, 2022. [2]

Related Sites

• CB Bucknor on Retrosheet.org