MLB umpire suspended after calling Beltre 'biggest complainer'
MLB umpire Joe West has been suspended for three games after calling Texas Rangers star Adrian Beltre the "biggest" complainer in the league.
West, who recently umpired his 5,000th career game, opened up about MLB but the statement that got him in trouble came when he was asked who the biggest complainer is.
He answered matter-of-factly and succinctly with Rangers third baseman Beltre – a four-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner and four-time Silver Slugger.
In an article for USA Today, West said: "It's got to be Adrian Beltre. Every pitch you call that's a strike, he says, 'Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!' I had a game with him recently and the pitch was right down the middle. He tells me, 'That ball is outside.'
"I told him, 'You may be a great ballplayer, but you're the worst umpire in the league. You stink."
The 64-year-old umpire did what very few professional athletes do. He told the reporter what he was really thinking. He also found out why pros do not usually speak their minds.
The Umpires Union 'strongly opposes' the suspension of the most senior umpire in baseball.
#WUA issued the following statement in response to West’s suspension: pic.twitter.com/NiXFPVndQh
— MLB World Umpires (@MLBaseballUmps) August 9, 2017