Gerald Sidney Davis (born February 22, 1953 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an umpire in Major League Baseball. Having worked in the National League from 1982 to 1999, he became a member of the unified umpiring staff for Major League Baseball in 2000. He has been a crew chief since 1999. He has worn uniform number 12 throughout his career.
He began umpiring in the minor leagues in 1976, working his way up to the American Association before being promoted to the majors in 1982.
He has officiated in 15 postseasons, including the World Series in 1996, 1999 2004 and 2009; the League Championship Series in 1990, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2005; and the Division Series in 1996, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009. He also umpired the All-Star Game in 1989, 1997 and 2002, calling balls and strikes for the last game. Davis was the second base umpire for the perfect game pitched by Randy Johnson on May 18, 2004.
Davis owns a company, Gerry Davis Sports, which specializes in umpiring equipment and clothing. His name has also been attached to a particular type of stance used by some umpires behind the plate. This stance, instead of an umpire bending down using his knees only (or even getting on one knee as some do), has the umpire bending down only about three-quarters of the 'normal' way, with his/her back leaning slightly forward, and arms extended down, literally holding onto the top of the umpires leg guards. This stance has the advantage of getting the umpire's head slightly closer to the plate, plus saving wear and tear on the knees, while also giving support to the back. Unsurprisingly, Gerry Davis Sports sells specially designed leg guards which give a small area at the top for the hands to rest. These leg guards also eschew the normal straps with metal hooks, in favor of straps with plugs that hook into little notches.
For the 2009 season, Davis's crew is comprised of Brian Gorman, CB Bucknor and Mike Everitt.
While not commonly associated with a small strike zone, a recent poll showed that Gerry Davis has the fewest strikeouts per game in which he was behind the plate.[citation needed]
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