Joe West Biography

Joe West is a retired Major League umpire. He is most notable for holding the MLB record for most games officiated, with 5,460 regular-season games. Known for his career-long consistency, West started his umpiring duties in college, then transitioned to the minor league circuit throughout Puerto Rico, Florida, and the South before heading to The Majors. 

He debuted in the National League in 1976, joining full-time in 1978. He has officiated six World Series, three All-Star Games, and 10 League Championship Series, including Nolan Ryan’s fifth no-hitter and Félix Hernández’s 2012 perfect game. A 2007 review of umpire strike zones by The Hardball Times determined that West “had the fewest number of extra balls and strikes,” a sign of him calling it reliably.

He served as president of the World Umpires Association from 2009 to 2018, navigating the 1999 mass resignation fallout and being rehired in 2002. Off the field, West is a singer-songwriter, nicknamed “Cowboy Joe,” who has released several albums and performed at the Grand Ole Opry.

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