Alfonso Márquez is heading into his sixth World Series, and this one is unlike anything he’s done before. Instead of standing on the diamond between the Brewers and the Rays, the Zacatecas native will be operating out of MLB’s replay review center in New York alongside American umpire D.J. Reyburn — holding final authority over every challenged call of the Fall Classic. Milwaukee arrives at 103-59, Tampa Bay at 98-64: a tight series that will almost certainly put that replay room to work.
What It Actually Means to Run the Replay Room
When a manager throws out a challenge, the field umpire doesn’t make the final call — Márquez and Reyburn do, from New York. They pull every camera angle, freeze the exact frame and issue the verdict. The umpire on the field just announces it. In the modern game, it’s arguably the most consequential job in the entire crew.
MLB’s official announcement designated Márquez as one of two umpires responsible for the video review system for the entire World Series, which opens Friday, October 23 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, with a potential Game 7 on October 31. James Hoye leads the on-field crew; Márquez leads replay. Different roles, same level of scrutiny.
On the field you’ll find Dan Bellino, Vic Carapazza, Tripp Gibson, Nic Lentz, Gabe Morales and Jim Wolf. Lentz and Morales are making their World Series debuts — Morales is behind the plate for Game 1. But if anyone challenges one of his calls, the man in Zacatecas’s corner has the last word.
A Career That Broke Ground Every Step of the Way
Márquez made his MLB debut on August 13, 1999 at Coors Field in Denver. He was the first umpire born in Mexico to reach the major leagues — and he got there having arrived in the United States at age seven as an undocumented immigrant from Zacatecas. In February 2020 he was promoted to Crew Chief, becoming the first Latino umpire born in Latin America to hold that title in MLB history.
In 2025 he reached 3,000 regular-season games worked, making him only the second Latin American umpire to hit that mark, trailing only Cuban umpire Ángel Hernández. His previous five World Series appearances — 2006 (Cardinals vs. Tigers), 2011 (Cardinals vs. Rangers), 2015 (Royals vs. Mets), 2021 and 2023 — were all worked from the field. The 2026 Fall Classic is the first time he’ll be technically outside the ballpark, and also the assignment with the most individual responsibility he’s ever carried.
MLB Doesn’t Put Just Anyone in That Room
The postseason replay system isn’t improvised. MLB assigns the top video authority role to umpires with deep experience and proven judgment under pressure — exactly the profile Márquez has built over 27 years in the league. This isn’t a soft landing or a ceremonial role. It’s the position where the most controversial decisions pile up in the shortest amount of time.
With both clubs winning at least 98 games, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are set up for a series where a single replay call in the late innings of a close game could shift everything. That pressure lands squarely on the New York review room. And this year, a man from Zacatecas is running it.
