Former MLB Umpire Steve Palermo Dies at Age 67

Former Major League Baseball umpire Steve Palermo has died at the age of 67.

ESPN.com reported the news Sunday and noted Palermo—who made his American League debut in 1976—"had been ill with cancer."

"Steve Palermo was a great umpire, a gifted communicator and a widely respected baseball official, known in our sport for his leadership and courage," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "He had an exceptional impact on both his fellow Major League Umpires and baseball fans, who benefited from his ability to explain the rules of our game."

According to ESPN.com, Palermo's career was curtailed when he was shot in the back and paralyzed from the waist down in 1991 while attempting to stop a robbery.

He recovered enough to throw out the first pitch in the 1991 World Series with a cane and leg brace, earning the admiration of Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan in the process:

Palermo continued working in MLB as an umpire supervisor after the shooting.