On the first day of eighth grade in 1990, a new student sat behind Pete Moore at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham.
The two started talking and Moore found out the student’s name was Alan Porter, as well as that Porter had transferred in from Upper Moreland and really liked sports. They hit it off, soon became best friends and ended up playing a lot of baseball together over the years.
Thirty-two years later, Alan Porter is one of the Major League umpires working the Phillies-Astros World Series and Moore is practically glowing with pride.
“When we grew up together, we were competitive,” Moore said. “I’m sure his competitiveness drives him to be the best he can be. He approaches every game the same way — even-keeled. Even as a player, there never was a moment too big for him. We wanted him up with the game on the line (for that reason). It’s the exact same thing as an umpire.”
Porter, who like Moore is a 1995 Hatboro-Horsham graduate, is lined up to be the home-plate umpire if there is a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday, which could be extremely significant.
“That’s quite an honor, I would think,” Moore said.
Moore and wife Rachel flew down to Houston and watched the Phillies’ 5-2 Game 2 loss Saturday night at Minute Maid Park, thanks to tickets Porter left for them. Porter was in left field for Game 2 and scheduled to be at third base for Game 3 on Monday at Citizens Bank Park.
Moore, a catcher, and Porter, a center fielder, played in Hatboro and Hatboro-Horsham community leagues, as well as high school ball, Horsham Legion and the Keystone State Games.
The team highlight occurred as juniors in 1994 when, with star pitcher Brian Kuklick leading the way, the Hatters finished one win away from qualifying for the state playoffs. Kuklick was a fifth-round pick by the Mets out of high school, but he opted to play quarterback at Wake Forest.
As for Porter, who was also a football standout, Moore said, “He was a tremendous (baseball) player. He had a cannon for an arm, hit with power and he could fly. … We had a lot of fun. The talent he had made both of us want to get better.”
While Moore played baseball at Temple and wound up in the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame, Porter spent a year at Montgomery Junior College in Rockville, Maryland, then played at Montgomery County Community College for Lou Lombardo. Porter was inducted into the MCCC Alumni Hall of Fame in 2013.
After college, Porter began umpiring games at local youth leagues and then the high-school level. He went to the (Harry) Wendelstedt Umpire School in Daytona Beach, Florida, and was one of 37 umps out of more than 300 chosen to join the professional ranks in 2002.
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He started his professional umpiring career in the Gulf Coast League, working his way through five other leagues — including a five-year stint in the Triple-A International League — before making his MLB debut on April 5, 2010, in Pittsburgh when the Pirates hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers. He became a full-time ump in the majors in 2013.
“Being a minor league umpire is a lot like being a minor league baseball player,” Moore said. “You’ve got to work your way up. You don’t have vacation time and the pay’s not there as a minor-league ump. Sometimes (it means being in) winter leagues out of the country, honing your craft. If you ‘re as dedicated as he was, talented as he was, that’s how you become a World Series umpire.”
Porter’s first World Series was in 2019, when the Washington Nationals defeated the Astros in seven games. He was the home-plate umpire in Game 1 that year.
Moore cannot imagine the 44-year-old Porter working Games 3-5 in his hometown having any effect on him.
“He has the ability to just separate everything and be completely locked in with his job,” Moore said. “This series could be anywhere and he’d do the same job. The fact it’s in Philadelphia doesn’t make a bit of a difference (to him). … Al’s not a fan of any team in MLB.”
Now in his 22nd year as the Hatboro-Horsham baseball coach, Moore coaches Porter’s son, Trey, who is a senior center fielder. Trey has committed to the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Trey led the Suburban One League Liberty Division in batting average (.488), home runs (6) and RBIs (26) as a junior.
“He’s the best player I’ve ever coached and we’ve had some great ones,” said Moore, a sixth-grade math teacher at Keith Valley. “He’s tremendous.”
Alan Porter likes to watch his son play baseball when he can, such as a 7-6 win over Quakertown on May 12. The same goes for younger son Alex, a seventh-grader who plays for Keith Valley and the Ambler Boilermakers.
“When he gets home, has a day off and we’re playing, (Porter) gets out to see Trey play,” Moore said.
But first there are some World Series games on the docket for Porter.
“He has a confidence about himself that allows him not to be intimidated by any name in the game,” Moore said. “He recognizes he has a job to do.”
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly