John Libka (born June 13, 1987) is a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

umpire.

Biography

Libka was born on June 13, 1987, in Saginaw, Michigan, to Gary and Lori Libka. He grew up in

Mayville, Michigan Mayville is a village in Tuscola County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 950 at the 2010 census. The village is within Fremont Township along the boundary with Dayton Township. Geography According to the United States Censu ...

, and attended high school at the Juniata Christian School in

Vassar, Michigan Vassar is a city in Tuscola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Founded March 1, 1849. The population was 2,727 at the 2020 census and 2,697 in 2010 (an increase of about 1.1%). The city is located on the western edge of Vassar Township but i ...

. Libka played baseball through his junior year in high school before beginning to umpire through the

Michigan High School Athletic Association The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Unlike ma ...

's Legacy Program. Under the direction of his father, Gary, Libka officiated his first games at age 16. After high school, Libka attended

Pensacola Christian College Pensacola Christian College (PCC) is a private Independent Baptist college in Pensacola, Florida. Founded in 1974 by Arlin and Beka Horton, it has been accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools since 2013. H ...

, graduating with a degree in education. After a teaching internship, Libka decided to return to umpiring, attending the Wendelstedt Umpire School and graduating in 2010. Libka now is an instructor at the Wendelstedt School.

Professional career

Libka made his

debut on May 27, 2017, umpiring a doubleheader in which the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

visited the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. On July 6, 2017, he ejected his first player, sending the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

Marwin González Marwin Javier González (born March 14, 1989) is a Venezuelan professional baseball utility player for the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). González was signed as an international free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 2005. ...

off the field for arguing balls and strikes. Through the 2018 regular season he was found to be the best performing home plate umpire in terms of accuracy in calling balls and strikes, with an error rate of 7.59 percent, and second best in 2018 alone, with an error rate of 7.33 percent. This was based on a study conducted at Boston University where 372,442 pitches were analyzed. He was officially hired by MLB prior to the 2022 season.

References

1987 births Living people Major League Baseball umpires Sportspeople from Michigan People from Saginaw, Michigan Pensacola Christian College alumni {{Major League Baseball Umpires navbox, state=collapsed