Major League Baseball umpire Joe West is suing Paul Lo Duca for defamation over comments the former catcher made on a podcast in May, asserting that a teammate used to bribe the umpire by letting him borrow his vintage car.

Lo Duca told a story about a game during his time with the Mets in 2006 or 2007, when after an easy ninth inning, closer Billy Wagner told Lo Duca that he would lend West his 1957 Chevrolet to get a more favorable strike zone.

Lo Duca recalled Wagner saying: "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, filed Tuesday in New York, denies that Wagner ever lent West a car and points out that no such game ever occurred.

"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."

At another point in the podcast, Lo Duca said that he had been ejected 15 times in his career and "eight or nine" of those occasions were with West as an umpire.

But, the four-time All-Star was dramatically exaggerating, the complaint says.

"In reality, Lo Duca was ejected eight times in his Major League Baseball career and only once by Joe West."

The complaint says West has suffered unspecified damages as a result of Lo Duca's comments.

"These statements impugn the integrity, honesty and professional fitness of Mr. West and affect his profession as a Major League Baseball umpire."