Many young athletes dream of one day playing at the professional level. They step out onto the Little League® diamond, imagining what it would be like to one day step out onto a Major League Baseball (MLB) field, surrounded by screaming fans and cameras. For 12-year-old Kyson Scurry, from Irmo (S.C.) Little League, the dreams of one day having an MLB career remain, but he plans to do it from behind home plate.
When Kyson was seven, he found an umpire indicator – a tool used during games to count strikes, balls, and outs – and started learning how to use it.
“I would take it to my parents’ softball games and use it to take the count,” said Kyson. “Then I started asking questions and wanting to learn more, and the first umpire to teach me the mechanics and rules was Mr. Booker. He helped me from when I was young until now and still helps me today.”
Since then, when Kyson isn’t wearing a Little League uniform playing the game he loves with his friends, he has been traveling across the country attending training clinics and camps, including those hosted by MLB umpires.
“It’s great to be around the MLB umpires. You learn what to expect at that level of play and you learn how to go from the Minors to the Majors,” said Kyson. “You get a good idea of what it is like to be an MLB umpire.”
Outside of the camps he attends, Kyson seeks advice from two mentors he has connected with along the way – Laz Díaz and Malachi Moore.
“They both have helped me through umpiring with mechanics and rules,” said Kyson. “They are helping me to be a better person, too.”
Moore attended MLB’s Compton Youth Academy when he was 15, sparking his passion for the game and desire to pursue a baseball career. Years later, he returned to the academy with a few of his college teammates when they were approached by umpires looking for help for a one-day clinic. After helping with the clinic, MLB Umpire Kerwin Danley asked Moore to attend a one-on-one training session. Though he was not at the time interested in becoming an umpire, the lessons and guidance he received from Danley led to Moore quickly falling in love with umpiring and his journey on the diamond began.
A decade later, Moore, wearing #44, made his first MLB appearance in 2020 and was promoted to the full-time umpiring staff for the 2023 season. Now, in the same way Danley inspired and helped him, Moore gives back to the umpire community by helping with Junior Umpire camps and mentoring kids like Kyson.
“My career started with someone who knew better than me, guiding me. When I didn’t understand, they understood, and that is what’s so cool about my relationship with Kyson, because I see the same path for him. But with Kyson, there’s not another kid out there like him. So, for me, it’s so inspiring and keeps me on my toes because I want to make sure I am setting every example possible and showing him the way,” said Moore. “Helping the next generation is so important for umpires. We can get so caught up in our day-to-day and our busy schedules but helping people get into umpiring, a profession I am passionate about, is rewarding. I know where I started and the fact that I wouldn’t be here without the people who guided me and helped me so it would be a shame for me to not do the same for this next generation.”
Moore is one of five Black umpires working in MLB and one of 11 full-time Black umpires to work at the Major League level since 1966. In 2024, he umpired second base for the MLB at Rickwood Field game, a tribute to the Negro Leagues that featured the first all-Black umpiring crew in MLB history.
“One of the first conversations I had with Kyson, he said he had watched all of my games. I was confused as to why, but then it made sense. It meant something when I was wrong for Kerwin, who was a Black umpire, to approach me and ask me to umpire because I saw someone who looked like me, someone who I could relate to and that inspired me and helped me not feel alone in the process. When I went to camps and saw three Black umpires at one camp, it would hit home for me because they looked like me,” said Moore. “I am only the 10th Black umpire in MLB history. Representation matters. It matters to Kyson. Umpiring teaches a lot more than strikes and outs, it teaches you about life, too.”
Sitting in the stands of the Rickwood Field game was Kyson, who shares Moore’s goal to increase the number of Black umpires across all levels of play.
“I would like to see more people like me out on the field umpiring. It was very important to me to see the MLB game at Rickwood Field with the first all-Black umpire crew. I just want to see more umpires in the game. I want to see the game being played and if you don’t have enough umpires, then the game can’t be played.”
Kyson, with the help of his parents, uses his social media platform to share behind-the-scenes photos, videos, and interviews. His goal is to showcase not only the hard work that it takes to be an umpire but also the big and little moments he gets to experience to hopefully inspire other kids like him to start their umpiring journey.
“My goal is to get people to understand how much umpires work and how much they do,” said Kyson. “My favorite game so far is when I umpired a University of South Carolina Athletics Gamecocks game. I hope to one day umpire an MLB World Series game and to umpire at Wrigley Field.”
Whether you’re still playing Little League or are now in your volunteer days, Kyson has this advice for anyone who is thinking of becoming an umpire.
“Always be a student. Always be open-minded to the mechanics and rules they are teaching you. You want to always be learning,” said Kyson. “Don’t be scared to make the wrong call because it will eventually happen. When you do, don’t get too in your head or you’ll keep making bad calls. Always be open-minded to different people. Always listen and be ready to umpire.”
For anyone who is already in the middle of their umpiring career and would like to take it to the next level, Moore shares this advice.
“Your job as an umpire is to get things right. So when you make mistakes it can be hard, but you have to learn how to channel it. It’s important to not get too high, and not get too low. Don’t get discouraged, but learn from your mistakes. When I was early in my career, I never wanted to watch videos of my mistakes. I only wanted to watch what I got right or the best moments on the field. But, you learn so much more from watching your mistakes,” said Moore. “I think everyone should have a mentor, and everyone needs a protege like Kyson is for me. It keeps you balanced because you continue to learn from your mentor but you’re also being there for the next generation as they go through it. Finally, be open to any advice and be coachable. You won’t get anywhere without being coachable.”
Kyson Scurry and Malachi Moore hope their stories and continued success will promote an inclusive environment and inspire others to start their umpiring journey. Learn more about Little League’s core value, INCLUSION, and how we live it out each and every day by visiting LittleLeague.org/WhoWeAre.
Interested in becoming a Little League umpire? Visit LittleLeague.org/Umpires to learn more.