Philip Cuzzi (born August 29, 1955) is an American professional baseball umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB). He worked as a reserve umpire in the National League (NL) from 1991 to 1993 and returned to the NL in 1999. Since 2000, he has worked in both major leagues. Cuzzi wore number 99 when his career started; he now wears number 10.
Cuzzi made his major league debut on June 4, 1991, umpiring at first base in an 11-inning game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers.[2] From 1991 through 1993, Cuzzi umpired a total of 71 National League games.
Cuzzi's umpiring career temporarily came to a halt in 1993. Although he had advanced to Class AAA baseball and served as an MLB reserve umpire, by that year there were no full-time major league slots for Cuzzi and he was released. Cuzzi subsequently worked as a substitute teacher and bartender. While working at a hotel bar in 1996, he had a chance meeting with NL president Len Coleman, who allowed him to resume umpiring if he would work his way back up from the low minor leagues.[3]
In 1999, Cuzzi returned to the NL, working 49 games. He was promoted to the full-time major league staff in 2000.
Cuzzi was the plate umpire for a game between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays on August 29, 2000.[8] During the game, eight members of the Rays were ejected (seven by Cuzzi), but no Boston players were thrown out, something that reportedly had never happened before.[9]
On April 16, 2009, Cuzzi was the first base umpire for the first game ever at the new Yankee Stadium.[10]
In the top of the 11th inning of game 2 of the 2009 ALDS between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees with no one out, Twins catcher Joe Mauer hit a ball that tipped off of left fielder Melky Cabrera's glove, landed fair, and bounced into the stands – Cuzzi called it a foul ball, denying Mauer of a ground rule double.[11] This call proved to be costly as the Twins lost the game 4–3 on a walk-off home run in the bottom half of the inning.[12]
On August 17, 2019, Cuzzi was umpiring at first base when he ejected Yankees CC Sabathia and Brett Gardner. Prior to Gardner's ejection, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was ejected by home-plate umpire Ben May. After Boone returned to the dugout, Gardner was seen hitting the top of the Yankees dugout with his bat, an action that had gotten him ejected on August 9 by Chris Segal.[13] In ejecting Gardner, Cuzzi demonstrated the action by Gardner which earned him his ejection, holding a phantom bat and jabbing it against a phantom dugout roof.[14]
