Umpire West calls out Yankees-Red Sox for slow pace of games

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - In the equivalent of a traffic cop sitting at an intersection complaining about the number of red lights run by motorists but never turning on his flashers, umpire Joe West ripped into the Yankees and Red Sox Wednesday for the pace of play, calling them "pathetic" and "embarrassing."

"They're the two clubs that don't try to pick up the pace," West, a full-time umpire since 1978 who has umpired more than 4,000 games, told the Bergen Record (N.J.) before Wednesday night's game. "They're two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest? It's pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play."

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman declined comment. MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said of West's comments: "We're looking into it."

Pace-of-play issues are nothing new, and teams, including the Yankees, were visited this spring by MLB vice president of on-field operations Bob Watson to discuss the issue, among others. The topic was high on the list of concerns discussed by the 14-member panel commissioner Bud Selig formed in December to study all aspects of the game.

Still, an umpire verbally attacking two teams surely isn't what MLB had in mind. At the very least, some kind of warning, possibly even a fine, probably is in the offing for West.

The Yankees and Red Sox, who are unlikely to be keen on West working any more of their games, feature lineups stocked with players known to take a lot of pitches. They have long played marathons, and their season-opening series was no exception. West was the plate umpire in Sunday's opener, which lasted 3 hours, 46 minutes. Known for a small strike zone, he didn't do anything noticeable to speed things up; there were 10 walks.

Angel Hernandez was behind the plate Tuesday for a game that lasted 3:48, and, per his prerogative, denied several timeout requests. Wednesday night's 10-inning game lasted 3:21. "All of baseball looks to these two clubs to pick up the pace," West said. "[Hernandez] did everything he could. The players aren't working with us."