Umpire Joe West suing ex-MLBer Paul Lo Duca over bribery allegations
Major League Baseball umpire Joe West is suing Paul Lo Duca for defamation after the retired catcher claimed a former New York Mets teammate used to let West borrow his vintage car in exchange for a favorable strike zone, according to a complaint obtained by Jesse Yomtov of USA TODAY Sports.
Lo Duca, who played 11 seasons with the Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins (now Miami), and Washington Nationals, said during an appearance on the "The Favorites Podcast" in May that he became aware of the alleged situation at some point between 2006 and 2007.
"We’re playing, like, a really tight game against the Phillies, and Billy Wagner comes in from the bullpen," Lo Duca said, according to Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. "... He’s like, 'Hey, Joe’s behind the plate. Set up a couple more inches inside. I was like, 'Are you kidding me? Joe hates me.' He’s like, 'No, no, no, no, no, no. Joe loves me.'
"I go, 'He hasn’t given us the corner all day.' He’s like, 'Don’t worry about it.' He literally throws 10 pitches and strikes out three guys. Joe rings up all three guys. Eight out of the nine pitches were at least three-to-four inches inside, not even close. Guys were throwing bats and everything."
Lo Duca said he asked Wagner for an explanation postgame.
"I get back into the clubhouse and I’m like, 'What just happened just right now?' And Wagner just winks at me," the former four-time All-Star said. "I’m like, 'What’s the secret?' He's like, 'Eh, Joe loves antique cars so every time he comes into town I lend him my '57 Chevy so he can drive it around, so then he opens up the strike zone for me.'"
The complaint refutes Lo Duca's claims.
"In reality, during 2006 and 2007, the two years that Lo Duca played for the New York Mets with Billy Wagner, Joe West was the home plate umpire for a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Mets only once, Billy Wagner did not pitch at all, and the game ended on a home run, not on called strikes," the complaint states, according to Yomtov.
The complaint also states that West has suffered unspecified damages due to the comments.