(Audacy) Longtime MLB umpire Joe West made officially retired from baseball Friday after a career that spanned five decades.
The 69-year-old West retires with the all-time record of 5,460 MLB games umpired since his debut in September 1976. He passed the previous best mark on May 25 of this past season, which was previously held by Hall of Fame umpire Bill Kleim.
Baseball fans are quite familiar with West, who went by the nickname “Cowboy Joe.” He was a colorful personality who would share quirky moments with the players on the field. He would also share some of the most intense moments as well, as he had a reputation for being a lightning rod and for a quick hook when it came to ejections.
As the news of his retirement became official, many fans of baseball took to social media to share their favorite West moments while others celebrated that he would no longer be affecting games.
Quite a few of those moments seemed to involve Madison Bumgarner, too.
Others, meanwhile, wanted to know when umpire Angel Hernandez planned on retiring.
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