Peak Joe West was reached on Sunday, as he had a pitch sequence so bad that even he should be ashamed of his calls.
Joe West is not exactly considered to be one of the better umpires in the game. His understanding of the strike zone is questionable at best, and he definitely seems to think that the fans are there to see him, not the teams. But he is tolerated, so long as he does not get too ridiculous with his calls.
On Sunday, Peak Joe West was achieved. He had what may have been the worst four pitch sequence of his career in regards to balls and strikes.
What a sequence here for Joe West pic.twitter.com/NF2Rg1QrSo
— Jonah (@JShiffyDFS) August 9, 2020
At least the count was correct. Ji-Man Choi should have faced a 2-2 count at that point in the plate appearance against Jonathan Holder. But the fact that the count was correct was just blind luck.
Speaking of blind, one has to wonder what West was looking at during those pitches. At least he was consistent – Holder was given the area off the plate away. And West consistently did not give Holder the lower portion of the zone, even those the two pitches he called “balls” were right over the plate.
Umpires like West, or the even more atrocious Angel Hernandez, are why baseball is looking at an electronic strike zone and robo-umps. His ability to call a ballgame accurately has been in question for years, with this latest plate appearance just the most recent example.
It is also worth noting that there is absolutely nothing that happens to these umpires regarding their performance. The likes of Joe West can be completely horrendous and incompetent, and yet find themselves out there game after game, blowing calls and making the games about themselves.
We have reached peak Joe West for 2020. Hopefully, he will not top his showing in that one plate appearance.