In 2010, Joe West reminded everyone why he was the most controversial umpire in baseball. During a White Sox game, he called a balk on Mark Buehrle, leading to confusion on what looked like a normal lefty pickoff move. When Buehrle tried to show where he’d stepped by drawing a line in the dirt, West took it as a personal slight. Ozzie Guillen came out to defend his pitcher, told West he wasn’t even arguing the balk itself, but West wasn’t having it. He tossed Ozzie in the second inning, grinned on camera, then stood on the field looking proud.
By the third inning, West called another balk on Buehrle. The pitcher threw his glove to the ground, and West was quick to throw him out too. He delivered a dramatic ejection motion, then turned and walked off before Buehrle could respond. It was the second ejection before the game was halfway over. West threw out both the team’s manager and pitcher during a getaway game, and seemed to enjoy every second of it. His umpiring partner, Angel Hernandez, even appeared to support him through it all.
After the game, West went on a radio show openly criticizing the Yankees and Red Sox, calling their play style pathetic. His behavior showed personal bias, which led to MLB fining him. That incident may have forced the league to tell West to dial it back, even if only temporarily. It was one of the many times Joe West made himself the center of attention in a game that wasn’t supposed to be about him.