The Most Famous Strike Call In Baseball Has Been Silenced
You might not know his name but if you ever watched a ball game that featured him behind the plate you knew his strike call. His name, Laurence Rennert, most of those who knew him personally or as fans of baseball called him Dutch.
Dutch Rennert set the standard for how a strike should be called during a Major League Baseball game. When Dutch was calling the balls and strikes there was never a doubt as to what Dutch was calling.
Not only did Dutch Rennert ring up batters with a thunderous call of STEEEEERRRRIIIIIKKKE, he had the theatrics to go with the bellowing pronouncement. He would often step back and to the side of the hitter in an almost exaggerated caricature of what baseball umpire should look like.
If you recall Leslie Nielsen's performance in The Naked Gun you have to believe he may have been inspired by Dutch and his booming behind the plate calls.
Dutch Rennert died Sunday at the age of 88. He served as an umpire in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1992. He was truly one of those quirky characters that added color the picture we all have in our mind of America's pastime.