There’s an old saying among baseball umpires on every level: “If nobody knows your name, you did a good job.”

Everybody in the baseball world knows Joe West’s name. In fact, he’s right up there with the worst umpires of all time; guys named Laz Diaz, Phil Cuzzi, and the immortal Ángel Hernández, who baseball players and managers see in their nightmares.

But being a bad umpire is one thing. Being an unprofessional, classless umpire is something entirely different, and Joe West proved on Tuesday night that he is king of the hill in this category.

Joe West has a reputation for being among the worst umpires the game has ever seen.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

In the top of the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s game between the Dodgers and Marlins at Dodger Stadium, Dodgers left-hander Tony Cingrani was called for a balk by West, who was the first base umpire. Now granted, no pitcher intentionally commits a balk, but you can usually tell by merely looking at the pitcher and tell whether or not they actually committed a balk. And then, of course, there are video replays to confirm (or disprove) a balk call.

Tony Cingrani did not balk.

I’m not exactly sure what Joe West saw, but this most certainly is not a balk.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA – Click on image to view video)

The problem, of course, is that you cannot argue a balk; not the pitcher, not the catcher, not the manager, not anyone. Doing so will result in an immediate ejection (and subsequent fine). In other words, a balk call is based 100 percent on an umpire’s opinion and interpretation of section 6.02 of the Official MLB Rules, which reads:

6.02 Pitcher Illegal Action
(a) Balks
If there is a runner, or runners, it is a balk when:
(1) The pitcher, while touching his plate, makes any motion
naturally associated with his pitch and fails to make such
delivery;
(2) The pitcher, while touching his plate, feints a throw to
first or third base and fails to complete the throw;
(3) The pitcher, while touching his plate, fails to step directly
toward a base before throwing to that base;
Rule 6.02(a )(3) Comment: Requires the pitcher, while touching
his plate, to step directly toward a base before throwing to
that base. If a pitcher turns or spins off of his free foot without
actually stepping or if he turns his body and throws before
stepping, it is a balk.
A pitcher is to step directly toward a base before throwing to
that base and is required to throw (except to second base)
because he steps. It is a balk if, with runners on first and third,
the pitcher steps toward third and does not throw, merely to
bluff the runner back to third; then seeing the runner on first
start for second, turn and step toward and throw to first base. It
is legal for a pitcher to feint a throw to second base.
(4) The pitcher, while touching his plate, throws, or feints a
throw to an unoccupied base, except for the purpose of
making a play;
(5) The pitcher makes an illegal pitch;
(6) The pitcher delivers the ball to the batter while he is not
facing the batter;
(7) The pitcher makes any motion naturally associated with
his pitch while he is not touching the pitcher’s plate;
(8) The pitcher unnecessarily delays the game;
(9) The pitcher, without having the ball, stands on or astride
the pitcher’s plate or while off the plate, he feints a pitch;
(10) The pitcher, after coming to a legal pitching position,
removes one hand from the ball other than in an actual
pitch, or in throwing to a base;
(11) The pitcher, while touching his plate, accidentally or intentionally
has the ball slip or fall out of his hand or glove;
(12) The pitcher, while giving an intentional base on balls,
pitches when the catcher is not in the catcher’s box;
(13) The pitcher delivers the pitch from Set Position without
coming to a stop.
PENALTY: The ball is dead, and each runner shall advance one
base without liability to be put out, unless the batter reaches
first on a hit, an error, a base on balls, a hit batter, or otherwise,
and all other runners advance at least one base, in which case
the play proceeds without reference to the balk.
APPROVED RULING: In cases where a pitcher balks and
throws wild, either to a base or to home plate, a runner or runners
may advance beyond the base to which he is entitled at his
own risk.
APPROVED RULING: A runner who misses the first base to
which he is advancing and who is called out on appeal shall be
considered as having advanced one base for the purpose of this
rule.

MLB rules aside, it’s wasn’t the balk call itself – as atrocious as it was – that showed Joe West’s true mettle, it’s what (and how) he justified his incompetence (and ignorance) after the game, as obtained by MLB.com’s and The Athletic writer Pedro Moura:

As you can see, even though Cingrani strongly disagreed with the flagrant call, he took the high road and acknowledged West’s 41 years as a major league umpire. Then again, what else is he going to say when he knows full well that West will be calling balls and strikes (and perhaps balks) when Cingrani is on the mound and West is on the field in future games?

All of this being said, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred or perhaps even Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations Joe Torre may already be looking into this matter, or perhaps already have, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes may be the case.

“I did take a look at it, and Joe’s been around a long time, and in his opinion it was a balk,” said Roberts. “Tony’s used that move quite a bit throughout his career and hasn’t been called for it, but in this particular time, Joe saw something different. There’s really not a whole lot we can say really to debate it, that was his professional opinion and decision.”

Without coming right out and saying that West blew the call, Roberts was a bit more specific when asked if he felt that MLB should look into it.

“I think that that’s a fair ask as far as the balk being reviewable because there’s really, as the rule book states, there’s really no 45 degree angle that you can say that you crossed it or you didn’t cross it. So that’s why when it’s open for interpretation, it’s hard to kind of challenge and give a definitive answer. So that’s something maybe we as an industry can sort of look at, and if there is a defined rule, I guess.”

Asked if a video of the suspicious balk call was sent to the league office, Roberts was a bit more specific and answered with a coy smile.

“I’m sure that’s happened.”

Without coming right out and admitting that they ratted veteran umpire Joe West out to Major League Baseball, Roberts coyly said “I’m sure that’s happened.” (Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

Will anything be done about Joe West’s career-long shoddy work?

Probably not. But if by chance there is, you can be sure that we will never hear about.

That being said, and if by chance there are some who have never heard Joe West’s name before, they certainly have now. In other words and based on that old saying, Joe West didn’t do a good job.

…again.