During a Padres vs. Giants game, veteran umpire Joe West and pitcher Madison Bumgarner had a strange but funny moment. The confusion started when West signaled a strike without saying it out loud, and Bumgarner, not looking at him, thought it was a ball. That mix-up threw off Bumgarner’s count. Thinking it was 2-0, he took a massive swing at what was actually a 1-1 pitch, clearly going for a hitter’s count. He missed, adjusted, then watched a pitch down the middle. By that point, the count was 1-2, though he believed he had one more pitch. When he looked back to get set again, the catcher and Joe West had to let him know he’d already struck out.
Bumgarner’s reaction was lowkey, just a nod and a walk-off, but Joe West couldn’t contain himself. Known for his usual serious attitude, West broke into a full-blown laugh. He grinned, chuckled, even put his helmet back on while still giggling. It was probably the most animated West had been all season. The clip ends on him just laughing it off, clearly enjoying the unexpected moment more than anyone else on the field.