New York — Umpire Joe West has sued retired player Paul LoDuca for defamation. The former catcher alleges West gave pitcher Billy Wagner a bigger strike zone in exchange for letting the umpire borrow a vintage car.
In a complaint filed Tuesday in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, West contended that LoDuca said during an April 18 podcast on The Action Network that he had been ejected 15 times during his major league career and eight or nine had been by West.
According to West, LoDuca said during the podcast that when the player was catching Wagner during a New York Mets’ game against Philadelphia in 2006 or 2007, West called three straight batters out on strikes.