A third generation Major League Baseball umpire was let go last month after he failed a drug test.
Two people reported Runge failed one of the random drug tests. An agreement was proposed for him to still work on the rooster, but he declined the terms.
According to the Denver Post, a Triple-A umpire has replaced Brian Runge, 43, during mid-season.
In the league, just like players, umpires are required to take random drug tests.
Runge comes from a line of umpires, as both his father and grandfather were umpires. His father was a National League umpire from 1973-1999 before becoming the National League’s executive director of umpires, while his grandfather was an American League umpire from 1954-1970. Both worked at the World Series several times.
This is not the first controversy with Runge. According to the Insquistr, in 2007, he got in an argument with San Diego Padres outfield Milton Bradley, where Runge accused Bradley of throwing a bat at him. A week later, Runge got in an argument with the Mets manager Jerry Manuel, resulting in a game suspension.
The MLB have yet to make an official statement as to why Runge was released.
Image: Wikimedia Commons