The umpire many Major League Baseball fans love to hate reached a historic milestone Wednesday. By taking the field in Minnesota, Joe West umpired his 5,164 major-league game. That moves him to second place all-time among umpires.
MLB fans roasted Joe West after the umpire reached his milestone
West has a bit of a reputation among baseball fans. He’s one of the few umpires most fans know by name, which should tell you all you need to know. Fans tend to recognize and remember umps who make them angry.
Because of that, West’s milestone was met with resistance from most fans.
That’s just a small sampling.
Joe West could retire with the record for most games as an umpire in MLB history
Should West stick around a few more seasons, there’s a strong chance he’ll break that record. Bill Klem leads the way with 5,375 games. Following Wednesday’s contest, West is just 211 games behind the record.
Most teams have about 40 games remaining in 2018. If he sticks around in 2019, that should give him close to 162 more games, which would close the gap by about 200. At that point, he would be in the single digits. And if postseason games count toward his total, West could easily reach Klem’s mark in 2019.
If that happens, we’re sure MLB fans will have some nuanced and measured takes.
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MLB umpire Joe West
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PITTSBURGH – 1997: Major League Baseball umpire Joe West talks with a coach from the St. Louis Cardinals before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium in 1997 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL – MARCH 17: MLB Umpire Joe West watches from second base as the Baltimore Orioles take on the Houston Astros at Ft. Lauderdale Stadium on March 17, 2004 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The Orioles defeated the Astros 3-2. (Photo by Rich Pilling/ MLB Photos via Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 18: Catcher Johnny Estrada of the Arizona Diamondbacks talks with home plate umpire Joe West between batters during the game against the Texas Rangers at Ameriquest Field in Arlington on June 18, 2006 in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers defeated the Diamondbacks 10-7. (Photo by John Williamson /MLB Photos via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 11: Umpire Joe West officiates the MLB game between the Oakland Athletics and the Chicago White Sox at the McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California on April 11, 2007. The White Sox defeated the Athletics 6-3. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – MAY 7: Umpire Joe West talks with Ramon Hernandez #55 of the Baltimore Orioles against the Oakland Athletics during a MLB game on May 7, 2008 at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH – APRIL 18: Major League Baseball umpire Joe West looks on from the field during a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 18, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pirates defeated the Reds 5-3. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – JUNE 08: First base umpire Joe West reacts to manager A.J. Hinch of the Arizona Diamondbacks during the Major League Baseball game against the Atlanta Braves at Chase Field on June 8, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
CHICAGO – MAY 13: Home plate umpire Joe West #22looks on during the game between the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Royals defeated the White Sox 9-1. (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 28: Home plate umpire Joe West rests during a break in the game between the Cleveland Indians and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 28, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 19: Manager Ron Gardenhire #35 of the Minnesota Twins argues a reversed call with umpire Joe West #22 during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on September 19, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 28: Home plate umpire Joe West works the game between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on Saturday, September 28, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 05: MLB home plate umpire Joe West #22 signals an out after reviewing a call prompted by a challenge from manager Don Mattingly of the Los Angeles Dodgers on the out call on A.J. Ellis #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers at the plate in the seventh inning during the MLB game at Dodger Stadium on April 5, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. The Giants defeated the Dodgers 7-2. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – MAY 11: Manager Ron Gardenhire #35 of the Minnesota Twins talks with major league umpire Joe West during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on May 11, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Twins defeated the Tigers 4-3. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
13 April 2014: Umpire Joe West (22) reviews a safe call at 1st base during the MLB baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros at the Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX. The call was overturned. (Photo by Andrew Dieb/Icon SMI/Corbis via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – JUNE 14: Major League umpire Joe West looks on during a rain delay of the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park on June 14, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Indians 8-1. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
BOSTON – MAY 15: Boston Red Sox infielder Brock Holt, left, is thrown out of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning by home plate umpire Joe West, center, after saying something after being called out on strikes during a game against the Houson Astros at Fenway Park in Boston on May 15, 2016. Boston manager John Farrell (right) came out to protect his player. West gives a look at Holt before he left the game. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 17: Home plate umpire Joe West calls a strike during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners on June 17, 2017, at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – JULY 16: Major League umpire Joe West looks on during the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on July 16, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Blue Jays 6-5. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL – MARCH 13: Umpire Joe West #22 in action during the spring training game between the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays at Champion Stadium on March 13, 2018 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by B51/Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joe West
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MAY 20: MLB umpire Joe West looks on during a game between the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers on May 20, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Brewers 3-1. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joe West
MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 03: Umpire Joe West stands on the field during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins at Miller Park on July 3, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – AUGUST 11: Home plate umpire Joe West #22 at Minute Maid Park on August 11, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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