BAKERSFIELD, Calif (KBAK/KBFX) Major league umpires have faced criticism this baseball season for missed balls and strikes, but in Bakersfield, a Little League umpire is drawing attention for a different reason: the way he moves around the field to make calls.
Sawyer Sparks, a Little League umpire in Bakersfield, recently went viral for his energetic style of calling games.
Less than a week ago, Sparks appeared in an Instagram video taken by a parent watching his son’s game.
Bakersfield Little League umpire goes viral for unique game-calling skills (KBAK/KBFX)
As of Friday, the video has 126,000 likes.
Justin Ritchie, who posted the viral clip, said he recorded Sparks while at the game and initially meant to share it with his wife.
“I was here watching my son’s game, and my wife wasn’t here yet, so I was texting her and she was asking about the game and how our son was doing. I told her that he’s not up yet, but this umpire, he’s really killing it out there,” Ritchie said.
Ritchie said he took a few videos of Sparks to show his wife, then decided to post one to social media.
By the next day, he said, the response was overwhelming.
“And the next day, just the views and comments and messages I’ve been getting from this kid, I was like – amazing!” Ritchie said.
Bakersfield Little League umpire goes viral for unique game-calling skills (KBAK/KBFX)
Sparks said his approach on the field is about positioning and accuracy, especially when he is working alone.
“The reason why I run around the field is, since I’m the only umpire on the field, I want to make sure I get the most accurate calls as possible,” Sparks said.
Sparks also said he met Ritchie after the video took off.
Bakersfield Little League umpire goes viral for unique game-calling skills (KBAK/KBFX)
“I went ahead and met Justin, and I just told him, hey this is me, thank you for getting my skills out there and showing everybody what I can do,” Sparks said.