Longtime MLB umpire Joe West didn’t have to think long for his answer when Buster Olney asked him about the “craziest game” he’d been a part of throughout his career.
“One of the most intense games I was ever in was the playoff game between Boston and New York, where Alex Rodriguez slapped the glove of the pitcher [Bronson] Arroyo, and knocked it out of his hands,” West told Olney, appearing on Olney’s “Baseball Tonight” podcast.
West was referring to Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, when his officiating team made a call that resulted in fans at Yankee Stadium throwing baseballs and trash onto the field.