Frank Pulli, who in 1999 became the first major league umpire to use instant replay to verify a call, nearly a decade before the league approved the practice, died on Wednesday at his home in Palm Harbor, Fla. He was 78.

The cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease, Mike Teevan, a spokesman for Major League Baseball, said.

After becoming a National League umpire in 1972, Pulli spent nearly 30 years in the majors, officiating in 3,774 games, including two All-Star Games, six National League Championship Series and four World Series.

He was the first-base umpire in Atlanta on April 8, 1974, when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs (Barry Bonds later passed Aaron’s 755). In Game 4 of the 1978 World Series, Pulli ruled that Reggie Jackson of the Yankees did not intentionally interfere with a throw when he was hit on the leg while running the bases, allowing Thurman Munson to score. The Yankees won the game, 4-3, and the Series, four games to two.