Joe West is apparently one tough hombre.
Known more for his country music singing ways and his propensity for being kind of a jerk on the field, the umpire proved Wednesday night that he can take a punch. And by punch, we mean a wooden bat to the side of the head.
West was behind the plate in Atlanta for the Braves-Marlins game, when Carlos Lee took a big hack with an elongated backswing. The backswing wrapped around and the bat hit West on the left side of his face and head.
The result was blood, but it was not enough to take the game’s most famous umpire from the game. He even had a laugh or two about it.
See the video below from MLB.com.
