Report: Umpire Joe West to Work NL Wild Card, Retire After 2021 Postseason

MLB umpire Joe West is finally hanging it up following the 2021 playoffs after over 5,000 games.

MLB umpire Joe West will retire after the 2021 postseason, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

West, 68, is the all-time leader in games umpired. He logged game No. 5,376 in May, passing Bill Klem for the MLB record. West said he would have retired had MLB held a full 162-game season in 2020, but he decided to return this season to break Klem's record. 

"Breaking the record was the goal," West told ESPN. "I thought I would do it last year but the season got a little messed up and I don't think it was right to work until the point of the record then just quit."

West will be behind the plate on Wednesday as the Dodgers host the Cardinals in the National League wild card. He has not been immune to criticism in his career, ranking as the second-worst umpire in baseball in a 2010 survey. West estimates he's thrown out "about 190 players, managers or coaches over his career, a total he deemed "not a lot over 44 years," per ESPN.