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.

Feb 4, 2022 · Joe West has made it official, retiring from Major League Baseball after umpiring a record 5,460 regular-season games. The 69-year-old West worked his first big league game on Sept. 14, 1976,...

Nov 30, 2023 · A 16-person committee will evaluate West and seven others: managers Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson, Jim Leyland and Lou Piniella; executives Hank Peters and Bill White; and another longtime umpire,...

Feb 4, 2022 · Known as "Cowboy Joe," West set the all-time record by umpiring in 5,460 regular-season games; MLB hires first full-time ump born in Puerto Rico.

Feb 7, 2022 · In the 2021 MLB season, umpire Joe West indicated he would retire, and in February 2022, he made it official after 45 years of calling balls and strikes in the league, as USA Today reports.

Joe West is an umpire who began his career in the National League in 1976 and who in 2021 became the holder of the record for most games umpired. After a star career as a college quarterback, West made his major league umpiring debut on September 13, 1976 after just three minor league seasons.

Feb 4, 2022 · Longtime MLB umpire Joe West retired Friday, ending a career that spanned 43 seasons. According to ESPN, MLB announced several umpire-related transactions Friday, including the retirement of...

West worked as an umpire with Major League Baseball. Joe umpired his first major league game on September 14, 1976, and his final game on October 5, 2021. Every game Joe West umpired appears below, along with biographical information, and ejection data - where applicable.

May 26, 2021 · Longtime Major League umpire Joe West, known as "Cowboy Joe" for his country music exploits, made history on Tuesday night when he worked the 5,376th regular-season game of his illustrious career, eclipsing Bill Klem's record that stood for 80 years.

After two short stints as a big league umpire in 1976 and 1977, Joe West became a full-time National League umpire in 1978. On June 30th that year while calling balls and strikes, West witnessed Willie McCovey’s 500th home run.