Draft:Erich Bacchus

Erich Bacchus (born November 2, 1990), is an American professional baseball umpire. He has been an umpire in Major League Baseball since 2020 and was promoted to the full-time umpiring staff in 2023. Bacchus wears uniform number 12.

Career
Bacchus graduated from the Wendelstedt umpiring school in 2012 and began his career in 2017, umpiring in the Arizona League, New York-Penn League, Florida Instructional League, South Atlantic League, Carolina League, Eastern League and International League. He also worked one season in the summer collegiate Coastal Plain League as part of an umpire development agreement with Major League Baseball. During that time, he was chosen as an umpire for the 2017 All-Star Futures Game, and the 2019 International League Championship Series.

He made his Major League debut on August 7, 2020 as the second base umpire during a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

On September 21, 2023, Bacchus called a near-perfect game, missing just one call at home plate in the Los Angeles Dodgers-San Francisco Giants matchup. Bacchus' game was the compared to that of Pat Hoberg, who called a similarly perfect game in Game 2 of the 2022 World Series.

On May 16, 2024, Bacchus ejected Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco for using a foreign substance on his glove while pitching. According to the umpire, it was "the stickiest stuff I’ve felt on a glove". The next month, he was criticized for a call during a June 6 game between the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks, which saw Bacchus call Jake Cronenworth out on a third-strike call on a high pitch.

Bacchus has served as an instructor at the Wendelstedt Umpiring School since 2016.

Personal life
An avid runner, Bacchus competed in a half marathon on behalf of "Umpire Cares Charities" in Holly Springs, NC.

He holds dual citizenship, as a citizen of both the United States and Switzerland.

Bacchus is engaged to Taylor Allen and lives in Germantown, Maryland.