Junior Taylor Valentine (born October 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball umpire.
[1] Valentine was born in Cosby, Tennessee and attended Maryville College,[2] graduating with a degree in history with teaching license.
[5] Valentine made his Major League debut on August 26, 2020, in the second game of a doubleheader between the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves.
[9] On June 24, 2023, Valentine called a controversial balk on Astros pitcher Ryne Stanek which led to James Outman scoring the go-ahead run in an 8-7 Dodgers victory.
[10] On May 24, 2024, Valentine received both praise and criticism for a controversial "infield fly interference" double play call in the game between the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles, where he called Andrew Vaughn out for interfering with Shortstop Gunnar Henderson's ability to field a hit off Andrew Benintendi.