The World Series isn’t just the biggest stage in baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays.
It’s also a milestone achievement for the umpires to work the best-of-seven series. There isn’t a bigger honor than being part of the crew for the Fall Classic, which is picked before the World Series starts and remains the same, with positional rotation, throughout the clash.
MLB picks seven umpires for the World Series. Six are on the field each game, and they always have an alternate on hand in case a replacement is needed in-game.
Here’s what to know about the umpiring crew for the World Series.
Who Are The 2026 World Series Umpires?
There are seven umpires for the 2026 World Series: James Hoye, Dan Bellino, Vic Carapazza, Tripp Gibson, Jim Wolf, Nic Lentz and Gabe Morales.
Hoye and Wolf are both working their third World Series.
Bellino, Carapazza and Gibson are each in their second Fall Classic.
And both Lentz and Morales get the special honor of working in their first World Series.
Who Is World Series Umpire Crew Chief?
James Hoye is the crew chief for this umpire group at the 2026 World Series.
Hoye has been an MLB umpire since 2003. The 55-year-old Hoye also worked during the 2019 World Series and the 2022 World Series.
The one game in the series when Hoye won’t be on the field is Game 3, when he’s the alternate/reserve umpire. Dan Bellino will be crew chief in that game.
Who Is World Series Home Plate Umpire?
The umpiring crew rotates who is behind the plate for each game of the series, but the order is already known.
Gabe Morales gets home plate for Game 1.
Jim Wolf is the home plate umpire in Game 2.
It will then go Nic Lentz for Game 3, James Hoye for Game 4, Vic Carapazza for Game 5, Dan Bellino for Game 6 and Tripp Gibson for Game 7.
According to the Associated Press:
“Lentz had a 48.3% overturn rate in the first season of the ABS ball/strike system of robot umpires, ninth-best among 76 umpires with 100 or more challenges, according to taptochallenge.com. Gibson was 19th at 50.4%, Morales 21st at 50.9%, Carapazza 28th at 52%, Hoye 29th at 52.3%, Wolf 39th at 53.7% and Bellino 65th at 59.9%.”
Who is Gabe Morales?
Gabe Morales is a 42-year-old umpire who made his MLB umpiring debut in 2014.
He’s working his first World Series and begins it behind the plate calling balls and strikes.
Who is Jim Wolf?
Wolf is the longest-tenured umpire in the World Series, having made his MLB debut in 1999.
He’s also the brother of former MLB pitcher Randy Wolf.
Who is Nic Lentz?
Lentz is the youngest umpire on this crew at 36 years of age.
He’s the youngest World Series umpire since Pat Hoberg in 2022.
Who is Vic Carapazza?
Carapazza is a 47-year-old umpire who made his MLB debut in 2010.
In the Division Series, teams won 2-of-5 challenges against Carapazza.
Who is Dan Bellino?
Bellino is a 48-year-old umpire who made his MLB debut in 2008.
Teams won 2-of-4 ABS challenges against Bellino in the Division Series.
Who is Tripp Gibson?
Tripp Gibson is 45 years old and worked the 2022 World Series.
He was behind the plate when four Houston Astros pitchers combined on a no-hitter in that Fall Classic’s Game 4.
Video Review Umpires
There are two umpires leading the crew at the replay operations center in New York: Alfonso Marquez and D.J. Reyburn.
They are used when challenges are made in the field of play, not on ball and strike challenges.
Who Are the 2026 World Series Umpires? Crew Chief & Full Crew