John Kruk recalls wild umpire interaction in penultimate MLB game: ‘Think I threatened to kill him'
Phillies legend John Kruk didn't end his playing career on good terms with longtime umpire Brian O'Nora.
The TV analyst revealed Monday night that he once threatened to kill the umpire during a game in the 90s — the same ump who was calling the balls and strikes in Philadelphia's 5-2 win over the Marlins in South Beach.
'I just got a text message from Judson Burch,' Kruk told broadcast partner Tom McCarthy of his former ESPN partner. 'Big Phillies fan. Big umpire savant. He said Brian O'Nora has been around so long, he threw you out of a game.'
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John Kruk's career ended with the White Sox.
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At McCarthy's prodding, Kruk dug into his memory to recall the shocking event.
'The game before I retired, I think I threatened to kill him,' Kruk said.
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O'Nora, wrapping up this third season of MLB umping, was indeed behind the plate on July 28, 1995, a game in which Kruk's White Sox fell to the Orioles, 4-3, in Baltimore.
Kruk, 34, struck out looking against Doug Jones in the top of the ninth inning, the 15th straight hitless at-bat for the three-time All-Star — which seemingly led to him letting off some steam at O'Nora.
Brian O'Nora has been umpiring for a long time.
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Whatever Kruk said, it apparently worked.
The following game, Kruk, batting third as the Chicago DH, singled off Baltimore starter Scott Erickson in the first inning and immediately called it a career.
'He threw me a BP fastball, I got the dog crap jammed out of me and hit a little blooper,' he said on 'Pardon My Take' in 2024. 'So I drove home. I grew up two-and-a-half hours from Baltimore. I drove home, and I went to my house. I turned on the TV, and I'm watching the rest of the game, and our announcers are like, 'We don't know what happened. We know he was limping. But we haven't got a report yet, but we think it's a hamstring.''
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Kruk, who also played for the Padres and Phillies, revealed he'd requested Erickson throw him the pitch so he could walk away from the game with a .300 career average.
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