Umpire Joe West: ‘I was just following the rules I made up’

Veteran umpire Joe West said Tuesday that he was correct to use replay during Sunday’s Phillies-Marlins game and maintained that he was simply “following the rules [he] made up.”

“Look, as an umpire, there are strict guidelines I have to follow which are clearly outlined in my head before each game,” West said. “I’m just doing my job.”

West made the controversial decision to use replay to decide whether a Hunter Pence double had been interfered with by a fan, which eventually led to Pence being called out. The Phillies played the remainder of the game under protest.

The Phillies went on to lose in 14 innings after West refused to review a play in which outfielder Shane Victorino was called out after hitting a a grand slam too far.

Phillies recall Hunter Pence from Houston Astros

After weeks of speculation, the Phillies finally recalled promising young outfielder Hunter Pence from Triple-A Houston on Friday.

The Phillies were exploring the trade market for a right-handed outfielder to plug into the middle of the order, but ultimately decided to fill the need internally by calling up Pence.

“Since we already had a guy like [Hunter] Pence in our system, we weren’t forced into trading our top prospects to get a guy like Carlos Beltran or Carlos Quentin,” said Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro. “We’ve been successful in the past by calling up guys like Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt, so we hope Hunter can keep that success going.”

To make room on the roster, the Phillies sent Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton and Josh Zeid down to Houston, though Amaro said he expects Cosart and Singleton to be back up with the parent club in the next few years.

“I explained to both of those guys that it’s only temporary,” said Amaro. “They’re good players and will be back with us soon enough.”