Umpire Joe West is no stranger to confrontation, and neither is Giants ace Madison Bumgarner. It was no surprise that the two butted heads after a perceived missed call on Thursday night.
Bumgarner was upset after a borderline call against San Diego’s Jedd Gyorko didn’t go his way early in the sixth inning at bat. After Bumgarner went on to walk Gyorko, he shouted in frustration and turned to give a long look at West, making his displeasure with his strike zone clear. Never one to shy away from confronting an insubordinate player, West removed his mask and stared right back at Bumgarner. The two glared at each other for a good twenty seconds before Bumgarner stepped back onto the mound and West took his position behind the plate.
“Joe was behind the plate?” Bumgarner said to reporters after the game, per CSN Bay Area. “I don’t pay attention to the umpires. I didn’t realize he was up there.”
Sure you didn’t, Madison. Of course, these two both have significant histories. Bumgarner has confronted Dodgers third baseman Alex Guerrero apparently for popping up what Guerrero felt was a hittable pitch. He has also had two separate on-field incidents with Yasiel Puig, once hitting him with a pitch and previously having words with him after Puig flipped his bat on a home run off him. West, of course, is one of the most controversial umpires in Major League Baseball, whether it’s taking runs off the board despite not seeing the play in question, nonchalantly ejecting A.J. Pierzynski from a spring training game, or not bothering to appeal game-ending check swing calls that replay clearly showed he missed.
Bumgarner’s evening didn’t get any better as the Padres would come back to beat the Giants 5-4.
