Ump works 5,000th career game
Umpire Joe West worked his 5,000th regular season game Tuesday night at Coors Field, and he vividly remembers his first more than 40 years ago.
“It was in Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium and Bob Watson hit this long fly ball down the left field line, and at the last second I called it foul and I was praying, ‘I hope I’m right,”’ he said before Tuesday’s game. “I remember all those things.”
West was behind the plate for a matchup between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies for his milestone game. The 64-year-old, nicknamed “Cowboy” Joe, is the third umpire to work at least 5,000 games, joining Hall of Famer Bill Klem (5,375) and Bruce Froemming (5,163).
West arrived at Coors Field with his brother, John. He got a congratulatory pat at home plate from his crew just before the game started and then called a strike on Gregor Blanco to start a key National League West matchup.
The milestone was recognized with a short video in the middle of the fifth inning, and West waved to the fans who cheered him.
West made his major league debut as a 23-year-old on Sept. 14, 1976, in a game between the Braves and Houston Astros. He joined the NL staff full time in 1978. His 40 seasons umpiring in the majors are the most by any umpire, but he will need to keep working for a few more years to umpire the most games.
“I’ve been here more years, but you’ve got to realize when Bill Klem worked, they didn’t have a week off at a time, he didn’t go to replay and he didn’t have those luxuries that the smart union chief has gotten for the umpires now,” West said.
West has also worked two all-star games, 123 post-season games and six World Series, including 2016.
He was on the crew during the historic 2004 American League Championship Series when the Boston Red Sox rallied to beat the New York Yankees after losing the first three games of the series. Among the most memorable plays was during Game 6, when New York’s Alex Rodriguez slapped the ball out of Bronson Arroyo’s glove as the pitcher tried to tag him on the first base line.
The umpires called Rodriguez out.
“When we called it, we knew we were right and we knew we’d get killed,” West said.