Joe West (umpire)

22 – Joe West
West in 2011
Born	(1952-10-31) October 31, 1952 (age 64) Asheville, North Carolina
MLB debut	September 14, 1976
Umpiring crew
E
Crew members
Joe West (crew chief) Kerwin Danley Andy Fletcher Mark Ripperger
Career highlights and awards
Special Assignments All-Star Game (1987, 2005) Wild Card Game (2013, 2014) Division Series (1995, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016) League Championship Series (1981, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2014) World Series (1992, 1997, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2016) World Baseball Classic (2009) MLB record 39 seasons umpired

Joseph Henry "Joe" West (born October 31, 1952), nicknamed "Cowboy Joe" or "Country Joe," is an American professional baseball umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB). 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 as an umpire in 1976; he joined the NL staff full-time in 1978. West has worn uniform number 22 throughout his career. As a young umpire, West 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.

A few years later, West was the home plate umpire during the 1988 playoff game in which pitcher Jay Howell was ejected for having pine tar on his glove. In 1990, he threw pitcher Dennis Cook to the ground while attempting to break up a fight. West resigned during the 1999 Major League Umpires Association mass resignation, but was rehired in 2002. Since then, he has umpired throughout MLB. In a 2004 playoff game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, West's crew made a controversial decision that necessitated police presence to calm the crowd. He served as crew chief for the 2005 World Series, and officiated in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.