During a career that spanned from 1963-1989, John Kibler worked as a baseball umpire in the National League. He called four World Series, four National League Championship series, one first-round playoff and four All-Star games.
No game was bigger than when he worked as the first base umpire in Game 6 of the 1986 World series when Mookie Wilson's two-out grounder rolled between Bill Buckner's legs. Although it was near the foul line, Kibler ruled the ball fair and the New York Mets rallied for a 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox. He was behind the plate for Game 7 when the Mets clinched the series and title.
Mr Kibler died on February 18, 2010 in Palo Alto, CA after suffering a heart attack at the age of 81. He served in the Navy during the Korean War and later left the New York State Police to attend umpiring school. He served as a minor league umpire in the late 1950's before joining Major League Baseball and became a umpire crew chief in 1977.
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