Baseball Authority on Instagram: “The 68-year-old West made his MLB debut in 1976 at the age of 23, and plans to retire following the 2021 season.”
![FILE - In this Thursday, July 16, 2020, file photo, umpire Joe West is shown between innings of a Tampa Bay Rays team baseball scrimmage in St. Petersburg, Fla. There are 76 FILE - In this Thursday, July 16, 2020, file photo, umpire Joe West is shown between innings of a Tampa Bay Rays team baseball scrimmage in St. Petersburg, Fla. There are 76](https://l450v.alamy.com/450v/2mgan2c/file-in-this-thursday-july-16-2020-file-photo-umpire-joe-west-is-shown-between-innings-of-a-tampa-bay-rays-team-baseball-scrimmage-in-st-petersburg-fla-there-are-76-full-time-mlb-umpires-and-more-than-20-of-them-are-age-55-or-over-including-west-who-is-one-of-the-two-oldest-ap-photomike-carlson-file-2mgan2c.jpg)
FILE - In this Thursday, July 16, 2020, file photo, umpire Joe West is shown between innings of a Tampa Bay Rays team baseball scrimmage in St. Petersburg, Fla. There are 76
POV: Bad Umpiring Hurt Baseball in 2021, Especially in the Playoffs. It's Time for Change | BU Today | Boston University
![Close Call Sports & Umpire Ejection Fantasy League: Umpire Joe West Officiates 5,000th Regular Season Game Close Call Sports & Umpire Ejection Fantasy League: Umpire Joe West Officiates 5,000th Regular Season Game](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-843JSojeRjI/WT8UOsdaZ8I/AAAAAAAAIbU/7fgJ8ALOJBUzvQoMkeHEe_jEE4JzYqVDgCLcB/s1600/joe-west-5000-games-collage.png)