Joseph Henry West (born October 31, 1952), nicknamed "Cowboy Joe" or "Country Joe", is an American former baseball umpire. He worked in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 to 2021, umpiring an MLB-record 43 seasons and 5,460 games.
Born in Asheville, North Carolina, he grew up in Greenville and played football at East Carolina University (ECU) and Elon College. West entered the National League (NL) as an umpire in 1976; he joined the NL staff full-time in 1978. As a young umpire, he worked Nolan Ryan's fifth career no-hitter, was on the field for Willie McCovey's 500th home run, and was involved in a 1983 pushing incident with manager Joe Torre. West resigned during the 1999 Major League Umpires Association mass resignation but was rehired in 2002. He served as crew chief for the 2005 World Series and officiated in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. On May 25, 2021, West broke Bill Klem's all-time record by umpiring his 5,376th game.
West worked several no-hitters, including a 2012 perfect game by Félix Hernández. He officiated six World Series, three All-Star Games, ten League Championship Series (LCS), eight League Division Series (LDS) and four Wild Card Games. West was president of the Major League Baseball Umpires Association through 2018. As the organization's president, he helped negotiate the largest umpiring contract in baseball history. He works with a sporting goods company to design and patent umpiring equipment endorsed by MLB.
Early life West was born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1952. He grew up in Greenville, North Carolina, where he played youth baseball and football. He graduated from JH Rose High School in Greenville. West played safety on the first-year football team at East Carolina University (ECU) in 1970 and he was a quarterback for Elon College (now Elon University) from 1971 to 1973. He intended to play his college football career at ECU, but head coach Mike McGee resigned after his first year, prompting West's transfer.
While in college, West hoped to play both baseball and football. However, spring practice for football interfered with West's ability to be on the baseball team. He concentrated on football and umpired high school baseball games on the side. In his three seasons at Elon, West was the starting quarterback and the team won three conference championships. He was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) on the 1973 team that lost the NAIA Division I title game to Abilene Christian; the Abilene Christian team was led by future professional football players Clint Longley and Wilbert Montgomery. West left Elon holding three passing records that were not broken for 20 years and was inducted into the Elon Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
Umpiring career Early career While umpiring locally as a college student, West met Carolina League umpire supervisor Malcolm Sykes, who recommended that West attend an umpire training school. West went to umpire school and graduated at the top of his class. He worked in several minor-league circuits (the Western Carolinas League, Puerto Rican League, Florida Instructional League, Southern League and American Association) before he was promoted to the major leagues. West made his first National League (NL) appearance in 1976 and joined the full-time NL staff in 1978.
In his first season as a full-time MLB umpire, West umpired the game in which Willie McCovey hit his 500th career home run. In the same year, he was at first base when Pete Rose tied the modern NL record for most consecutive games with a hit (37, set by Tommy Holmes of the 1945 Boston Braves), and he was the home plate umpire when Rose broke it the following day. In 1981, West worked first base for Nolan Ryan's fifth career no-hitter. On October 13, 1981, West was 28 when he became the youngest NL umpire to call a League Championship Series.
In July 1983, West was suspended for three days and fined $500 for shoving Atlanta Braves manager Joe Torre. The manager was angry at the end of a game and had followed West into the walkway outside the umpires' dressing room to argue with him. On appeal, NL President Chub Feeney reduced West's fine to $300. Torre also received a fine stemming from the incident. This was believed to be the first incident of an umpire being suspended during a baseball season in decades.
During a game between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves at Shea Stadium on May 9, 1984, West ejected two cameramen with SportsChannel after they allowed coach Bobby Valentine and pitcher Mike Torrez of the Mets to watch the replay of a close call that had ended the fourth inning.
1986–2001 West made his second NLCS appearance in 1986. He umpired his first All-Star Game in 1987. On September 28, 1988, West was on the field when Orel Hershiser set the MLB record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched. West returned to the NLCS in 1988 and was the plate umpire when Dodgers pitcher Jay Howell was ejected for having pine tar on his glove.
During a 1990 on-field brawl between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, West attempted to break up the fight by throwing Phillies pitcher Dennis Cook to the ground. The matter ultimately was handled among West, NL President Bill White, then-Commissioner Fay Vincent, and the umpires' union. West said White supported his actions in the brawl, but White quickly issued a statement saying he had prohibited West from making further physical contact with players. White was reported to have nearly resigned due to a lack of support from Vincent, but the NL president remained in his post after receiving approval from league owners. West met more controversy the following year when Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson bumped him after a called third strike during a game at Wrigley Field. After Dawson was ejected from the game, he walked back to the dugout and tossed 14 bats onto the field. Chicago fans threw debris onto the field, causing a delay in the game. Dawson received a one-game suspension and a $1,000 fine. On his check to the league, Dawson wrote "donation for the blind".
In 1992, West made his first World Series appearance when the Atlanta Braves faced the Toronto Blue Jays. West was behind the plate in the first World Series game played in Canada and ejected Braves manager Bobby Cox for throwing a helmet onto the field. In 1993, he appeared in the NLCS. He worked another no-hitter on April 8, 1994, when Kent Mercker shut down the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 1995 NLDS was West's first League Division Series. The following year West worked in the NLCS. He returned to the World Series in 1997 when the Cleveland Indians faced the Florida Marlins.
In 1999, West was among 22 MLB umpires who engaged in mass resignations during a labor dispute. The strategy backfired when MLB accepted the resignations instead of entering into further negotiations with the umpiring union. The union filed charges against MLB with the National Labor Relations Board, saying the mass resignation was "a concerted action protected by law". After arbitration and appeals, MLB settled with the union. A few umpires received severance pay and were allowed to retire under the settlement, but MLB rehired West and several other umpires in 2002.
2002–2021 In the same year he returned to the field, West worked in the ALDS. He also umpired in the 2003 and 2004 ALCS. In game six of the latter series, West's crew ruled Yankees batter Alex Rodriguez out for interference after Rodriguez appeared to swat the ball out of the glove of opposing pitcher Bronson Arroyo on his way to first base. Fans threw debris on the field, Red Sox manager Terry Francona pulled his team off the field, and NYPD officers in riot gear took to the field to calm the crowd. West said fans actually applauded the umpires for the correct call when they came onto the field the following day. West's first All-Star Game and World Series appearances after his rehire came in 2005; that year he umpired in his second ALDS and his third World Series, serving as World Series crew chief.
West was the home plate umpire when rookie pitcher Clay Buchholz threw a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles on September 1, 2007, at Fenway Park; West called a curveball strike three for the final out. He worked his 4,000th career game on July 30, 2009, at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; he ejected Washington Nationals manager Jim Riggleman from the contest. That same year he appeared in the American League Division Series and the World Series. He was also elected president of the World Umpires Association (WUA). West and the union's governing board negotiated the largest umpiring contract in the history of MLB. The contract ran from 2010 through the 2014 season. West designed the chest protector sold commercially as the West Vest, now marketed by Wilson Sporting Goods. He held patents on the West Vest in the US, Australia, Canada, and Japan. He also designed Wilson's high-end umpiring gear, the only umpiring equipment endorsed by MLB. Event starts at 01:50:12.
In 2010, West sparked controversy by criticizing the slow pace of a recently completed series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, which he called "pathetic and embarrassing". Red Sox manager Terry Francona referred to the remarks as "troubling," while Yankees closer Mariano Rivera remarked, "If he has places to go, let him do something else." Columnist Wallace Matthews defended West, saying the umpire was simply expressing what people had been thinking for a long time. West was not fined by MLB for his comments but was "admonished firmly," according to press reports. On May 26, 2010, West made two controversial balk calls on Mark Buehrle and consequently ejected White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén for arguing and Buehrle for throwing his glove which led to the Chicago announcer asserting that West was becoming a "joke to the umpiring profession" and was "in need of a suspension." On August 26, 2010, West was the plate umpire for Albert Pujols' 400th career home run.
On September 14, 2014, West ejected Jonathan Papelbon for the lewd act of adjusting his groin, resulting in a confrontation where West grabbed Papelbon's jersey. MLB subsequently suspended Papelbon for seven games for his lewd act and West for one game for initiating contact with Papelbon. West later claimed Papelbon had initiated first contact, but Major League Baseball determined that the video replay showed West was not correct, and that the contact was initiated by West.
West umpired in his second NLDS (and fifth LDS) in 2011. The next year West was the first base umpire for Félix Hernández's August 15 perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He umpired another NLDS that year, then appeared in his fifth World Series. His career has spanned the tenure of baseball commissioners Bowie Kuhn, Peter Ueberroth, Bart Giamatti, Fay Vincent, Bud Selig, and Rob Manfred. The 2015 season was West's 38th in MLB, making him MLB's most senior umpire. Umpire Bruce Froemming, who was previously the most senior umpire, spent 37 seasons in MLB, retiring at the end of the 2007 season.
On August 9, 2017, West was suspended for three games after making inappropriate comments about Adrián Beltré. Beltre defended West, stating that he thought the suspension was unnecessary and that West had made the comments in jest.
In the bottom of the first inning of Game 4 of the 2018 ALCS, a deep drive and potential two-run homer to right field by Houston's Jose Altuve, which Boston's Mookie Betts nearly caught with a leaping grab at the wall, was ruled by West to be an out due to fan interference. West, the crew chief for the series, made the call from his right field position; the call stood after review by video replay. The call was widely discussed in coverage of the game and on social media such as Twitter.