Umpire Joe West sues former New York Mets C Paul Lo Duca for saying he took bribes

Former New York Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca has been sued for saying umpire Joe West took bribes from Billy Wagner over 10 years ago.

A retired New York Mets catcher finds himself in a defamation lawsuit for something he said earlier this year.

In April, Paul Lo Duca claimed that major league umpire Joe West took bribes from former Mets closer Billy Wagner. Lo Duca made this claim in a podcast for The Action Network.

Lo Duca said that in a game around 2006 or 2007, he saw that West was being very lenient with the strike zone when Wagner was pitching. When Lo Duca asked Wagner what the deal was with West being easy on him, that’s when Wagner explained.

“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,” Wagner said according to Lo Duca.

Now, West is naming Lo Duca in the suit, claiming his accusations are false and have hurt his reputation. It’s unclear why Lo Duca would say these things if they weren’t legitimate. However, who truly knows when it comes to who’s telling the real story?

Lo Duca, 47, played in the majors from 1998-2008. He spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins (twice), Mets, and Washington Nationals. He’s a three-time All-Star.Wagner, on the other hand, spent time in the majors from 1995-2010. The seven-time All-Star played for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves.

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