(LEX 18) — Kentucky native, Tripp Gibson, had the best seat in the house for Game 4 of the World Series between the Phillies and the Astros.
"I'm very blessed to be a part of that for sure," he said about umpiring home plate for the record-breaking game, which was the first World Series no-hitter since the perfect game with Don Larson in 1956.
"I'm still a little bit like shocked that it actually happened," he said about the no-hitter.
He said during the game, he had to slow down the action in his mind, focus, and make sure he didn't get anything wrong. The pressure was on.
"On the game's biggest stage with the World Series my whole goal was just to be as correct as possible," he said.
After the final out, he was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"It was just like this big, deep breath, like a breath of fresh air like I can breathe again," he said.
Reflecting on the experience, he said he feels like he won the lottery. When he got the phone call from his boss that he would umpire the World Series, he couldn't believe it.
"I was overwhelmed with joy, humbled, honored, and very emotional," he reminisced.
The Mayfield native now lives in Seattle with his family.
His umpiring career started in 2000 when he started umpiring Little League games.
After graduating from Murray State in 2005, he went to the Harry Wendelstedt School for Umpires in Daytona Beach, FL. in 2006.
Nine years later he became a full-time, contracted umpire in the MLB.
He is one of 76. Of the 76 MLB umpires, seven umpired this year's World Series.
His dream took root when he was a boy growing up in the small town of Mayfield, KY.
"I can hear my dad right now saying it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in that dog," he said.
For other Kentuckians with big dreams, he said if you believe in that motto, and in yourself, you can achieve anything.
