Joliet West Grad, MLB Umpire Mark Carlson Working the World Series

Joliet West graduate and Major League Baseball umpire Mark Carlson was chosen to work the World Series for the first time in his 16-year career.

Carlson, 46, played baseball at Joliet West and at Parkland College before joining the Marines. When he got out, he attended Brinkman-Froemming Umpire School and started on the long road to the Majors.

Carlson was stationed at first base for Tuesday night’s marathon 14-inning Royals win and was behind the plate Wednesday night.

In a 2012 profile, Deadspin said Carlson “isn’t known for a short fuse, (but) he doesn’t take a lot of guff, either. His career ejection rate of 2.6 percent is nearly 20 percent higher than average.”

The same piece said Carlson’s “claim to fame” was prompting “Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano to completely lose his mind in May 2009. Video showed Carlson’s call was correct, and Zambrano was suspended for six games.”

When he was living in Shorewood in 2011, Carlson was named one of the most interesting personalities in Troy Township.