When Giovanny Gallegos jogged in from the bullpen to pitch during Wednesday's Cardinals-White Sox game, umpires noticed a dark spot on his cap. Crew chief Joe West, with the.
GO WEST
Joe West is set to break the record for most games as a major league umpire with No. 5,376 when he works the Cardinals-White Sox matchup in Chicago.
Now 68, West started out in 1976 the first time he worked the plate, knuckleballing Hall of Famer Phil Niekro was throwing to Braves catcher Dale Murphy.
West will break the mark set by Bill Klem, who worked from 1905-41 and was known for his complete control in making running games. âIt ainât nothinâ till I call it,â he supposedly said.
A college quarterback who led Elon to the NAIA championship game in 1973, West became the best-known ump in the bigs for all sorts of reasons. Never shy about speaking his mind or singing, earning the nicknames of âCowboy Joeâ and âCountry Joeâ for his music West has drawn plenty of praise and criticism over the decades.
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[D’backs.com] D-backs activate Kelly, send down Varsho - When the D-backs begin a nine-game homestand on Tuesday night, they’ll do so with some offensive reinforcement. On Monday, Arizona activated catcher Carson Kelly from the 10-day injured list. In a corresponding move, catcher/outfielder Daulton Varsho was optioned to Triple-A Reno. Kelly, who had a tuft fracture in his left big toe, spent the minimum 10 days on the IL, as manager Torey Lovullo had previously indicated that the catcher wouldn’t need to go on a rehab assignment. Kelly sustained the injury in the first inning of a loss to the Marlins on May 13, but he played the rest of that game. He went on the IL two days later. Prior to his IL stint, Kelly batted .338/.491/.613 with six homers and 19 RBIs in 28 games. He’ll now look to provide a boost to a D-backs lineup that has been held to three or fewer runs in seven of the eight games