MLB umps: West done, Ortiz is 1st staffer from Puerto Rico

NEW YORK (AP) — Joe West has made it official, retiring from Major League Baseball after umpiring a record 5,460 regular-season games.

Roberto Ortiz became the first Puerto Rican-born umpire to join the big league staff in a series of retirements and promotions announced Friday by MLB.

“I am honored and blessed to have the privilege of becoming the first Puerto Rican umpire to be hired by MLB,” the 37-year-old Ortiz said. “It fills me with pride to be able to represent my family and my island of Puerto Rico in what I consider the best league in the world.”

Longtime umpires Gerry Davis, Kerwin Danley, Brian Gorman and Fieldin Culbreth also have retired.

Ben May, Ryan Additon, Sean Barber and John Libka joined Ortiz in promotions to the full-time MLB staff.

Laz Díaz, Greg Gibson, Marvin Hudson, Ron Kulpa and Bill Welke were elevated to crew chiefs.

The 69-year-old West worked his first big league game on Sept. 14, 1976, at third base in Atlanta when the Braves hosted the Houston Astros. His finale was on Oct. 6, when he worked home plate at Dodger Stadium for the NL wild-card game between Los Angeles and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Known as Country Joe, West set the record for regular-season games last May 25, when he worked the plate when the Chicago White Sox hosted the Cardinals. NL umpire Bill Klem had held the record following in a career that spanned 1905-41.

Ortiz had worked 411 major league games since 2016 as a call-up ump. He had been a minor league umpire since 2009 and was assigned to Triple-A last year.

May, 40, called 650 MLB games as a call-up since 2014. He started in the minors in 2007 and was in Triple-A last season.

Additon, 36, worked the plate when Corey Kluber pitched a no-hitter for the Yankees at Texas last May 19. A minor League ump since 2010 and...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/MLB-umps-West-done-Ortiz-is-1st-staffer-from-16832299.php