MLB Umpires End Protest After Commissioner Rob Manfred Agrees To Meet With Union Board

Major League Baseball umpires have ended their protest of players’ treatment of them following commissioner Rob Manfred’s offer to meet with their union’s governing board.

MLB Umpires Protest News

Several umpires donned white wristbands during games on Saturday to voice their discontent with a string of incidents they call “abusive player behavior.” One of the latest such incidents resulted in Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler being fined — but not suspended — for launching a verbal rant against umpire Angel Hernandez in the Tigers’ 6-2 loss to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park on Aug. 14. Kinsler said the following day (Tuesday) that Hernandez is a bad umpire and “just needs to go away.”

Earlier this summer, Hernandez sued MLB and the commissioner’s office for alleged racial discrimination.

The World Umpires Association released a statement in a series of tweets on Sunday to announce Manfred’s decision to meet with the union’s governing board.

“Today WUA members agreed to the Commissioner’s proposal to meet with the Union’s Governing Board to discuss the concerns on which our white wristband protest is based,” the statement read. “We appreciate the Commissioner’s willingness to engage seriously on verbal attacks and other important issues that must be addressed. To demonstrate our good faith, MLB Umpires will remove the protest white wrist bands pending the requested meeting.”

Kinsler was ejected by Hernandez last Monday in Arlington, Texas after being called out on strikes. The second baseman accused the umpire of “blatantly messing” with games.

“No, I’m surprised at how bad an umpire he is. … I don’t know how, for as many years he’s been in the league, that he can be that bad. He needs to re-evaluate his career choice. He really does. Bottom line,” Kinsler said.

The WUA seemed to believe Kinsler should have been suspended in addition to being fined. The second baseman was fined $10,000, according to several reports.

“The Office of the Commissioner’s lenient treatment to abusive player behavior sends the wrong message to players and managers. It’s ‘open season’ on umpires, and that’s bad for the game,” the WUA said in a release Saturday.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist has expressed support for automated umpires.

“If we want to change something like that, we’re going to have an electronic strike zone because human beings are going to make mistakes,” Zobrist told reporters.

However, MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince recently reported that Manfred is opposed to using new technologies like an electronic strike zone to determine balls and strikes because he believes umpires’ calls are usually much more accurate than those of automated systems.

“The fact of the matter is they (umpires) get them right well over 90 percent of the time,” said Manfred. “And there is a human aspect to that, a work aspect to it that’s always been an important part of our game. I don’t think you can just jump to the conclusion that if you have [the] technology to do it that’s the right thing for your product.”

ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 14: Ian Kinsler #3 of the Detroit Tigers after being ejected by home plate umpire, Angel Hernandez during play against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on August 14, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)