After being tossed from yesterday’s game, Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler was blunt (to say the least) when voicing his displeasure with veteran umpire Angel Hernandez today (via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News and Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press). “I don’t know how, for as many years he’s been in the league, that he can be that bad,” said Kinsler of Hernandez’s strike zone. “He needs to reevaluate his career choice, he really does. Bottom line. … He’s changing the game. He needs to find another job.” Kinsler was tossed mid-at-bat for questioning Hernandez’s strike zone, though as he tells it, he never cursed at the umpire. Kinsler also recalled a story from his rookie season in which he was repeatedly “screamed” at by Hernandez for blocking Hernandez’s view on a play at first base.
It’s far from the first time that Hernandez has been called out by a player, though Kinsler’s vitriolic comments — there are many more in the columns from McCosky and Fenech — are likely the most extreme case you’ll see anytime soon. The Tigers’ second baseman acknowledged that he’ll likely be disciplined for his outburst but didn’t let that serve as a deterrent in sounding off: “No one in this game wants [him] behind the plate any more, none of the players.”
More from the division…
- Former Twins closer Glen Perkins joined the Twins in Minneapolis tonight after a rehab stint in Double-A Chattanooga, writes La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, but Perkins has not yet been activated from the disabled list. Perkins is with the team, but the Twins are waiting to formally make a move regarding him, per Neal. The Twins technically still have until Aug. 21 to activate Perkins if they wish to get him more than the 7 1/3 innings he’s thrown on his rehab assignment thus far, and Neal notes that he could either throw live batting practice in Minneapolis or join Triple-A Rochester for another outing or two. That Perkins is even emerging as a consideration at all is significant; the former All-Star has pitched just two innings since 2015 due to a significant shoulder injury that required surgery last summer.
- White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf spoke with Bob Nightengale of USA Today about the difficult decision to give GM Rick Hahn and his staff the green-light for a full rebuild of the team. “What made it hard for me was my age,” said Reinsdorf. “I’m 81 years old. How long am I going to be around, right? … The decision I made was that I can’t be a factor in this thing. As the owner of this team, I have an obligation to do what’s right for the fans. The real owner of a team is the fans, the owner is a custodian.” Reinsdorf acknowledges that the closely bunched group of teams in the American League suggests that the ChiSox might have had a chance for a Wild Card spot had they kept Chris Sale and Adam Eaton this offseason and made one more attempt at contending. However, he also adds that his ultimate goal of building a perennial contender for White Sox fans and the haul of young talent Hahn & Co. have acquired leaves him with no regrets about the rebuilding decision.
- The Indians’ acquisition of Jay Bruce could push the injured Lonnie Chisenhall from right field to left field once he’s activated from the DL, writes MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. Cleveland has a left field vacancy of sorts at the moment due to Michael Brantley’s ankle injury, and Bastian writes that there’s currently no timetable for Brantley’s return. Per manager Terry Francona, Brantley is still in a walking boot and is still “in the healing stages” of his recovery from a sprained right ankle. Chisenhall has never even played a full inning in left field as a big leaguer, but he made a smooth transition from third base to right field and has graded out as an above-average defender there since 2015, per Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved.
Angel Hernandez and Will little are the 2 worst umpires in the game today. The best umpires are the ones you don’t know their name because they called a good game.
Add CB Bucknor and Joe West to that list.
Angel currently has a lawsuit over not being named to postseason crews because he feels racially discriminated against. He’s never chosen because he’s one of the worst of all time!
He has no case lmao. They can just bring up the strike zone in games he called and thats all the defense MLB needs
Joe West is a pretty good umpire.
LOL No Country Joe is horrible.
How does he pull a lawsuit like that when he was in last year’s NLCS?
He also blew that too in game 4.
He was put in it after the lawsuit IIRC
Agree agree agree. Joe West, CB Bucknor and Angel Hernandez are TERRIBLE. The fact that they are still employed makes a mockery of the umpires union who protect them. I’m pro union but man, they are just ruining the concept by protecting these morons. They should be relegated to slow pitch softball. Worst umpires in the league.
I just saw the ejection. Kinder must’ve said some racist stuff to get ejected that fast
He said :What was that?” on an obvious ball.
How about Alfonso Marquez?
Hes awful as well!
Wouldn’t it make more sense to move Bruce to LF since Chisenhall has been above average in RF, or has Bruce or someone else close to the situation said something suggesting that it’s Chisenhall who will have to move?
I think chisenhall is more athletic and that natural defensive ability could help him translate to left better than bruce would
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chisenhall go to CF, and Zimmer back to AAA, considering his prolonged struggles at the plate.
That would leave Bruce in RF and Austin Jackson, who can also play CF, in LF….for now.
It’s a toss up between Hernandez and Buckner who is worse
Hernandez has a worse attitude so I think he gets the edge.
I wonder if they’ve ever been on the same umpiring crew? Geez, could you imagine a crew of Hernandez, Bucknor, West, and ___________?
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NO!
Jim Joyce 2010 edition?
That works.
Jerry Meals!
I’m pretty sure Blue Jays fans would say Vic Carapazza as well
Phil Cuzzi….make sure he’s ar 3rd base, since he’s so good at determining fair and foul….re: Joe Mauer vs Yankees in 2010 playoffs
Have you noticed that the worst umpires are the most aggressive? They get angry when someone disagrees with them because that’s their way of trying to quell dissent. I don’t know why a player hasn’t “beaked them” yet. They need a good beaking! (Where a player hits them with the bill of their cap in the nose).
Hernandez is not only the worst ump in league history, he is the worst official in any sport. This is the guy that once ejected a 7th inning stretch singer from the booth at Wrigley.
Since Joey Crawford retired from the NBA, you are probably right.
What about the NBA ref that rigged games in 05 and 06?
Have you met Jeff Tripplette? Of course, that might just be a Cleveland thing.
Tell me more!
I’ve seen Phil Cuzzi and Jim Joyce call some bad games.
Jim Joyce screwed Armando Gallaraga out of a perfect game, but other than that, he was rated one of the best by MLB players. He did admit to making the mistake and felt horrible about it and dealt with it with true class.
Reinsdorf is in a home. Incoherent. And left Williams and Paxon in charge of the sox and Bulls. Those two are really doing a bang up job. I don’t know who answered Reinsdorfs questions but since he hasn’t been seen in a long time , it wasn’t him.
Another angry Cubs fan. What a surprise
I always thought he was a Sox fan full of self-loathing.
John Paxson, a name I’ve not heard in a while, not that I really wanted to. He’s my ex wife’s cousin. Just another reason for me to dislike the Bulls. LOL
Yes! Thank u Ian for telling it like it is. Hes terrible, how he survived the great umpire purge in the late 90s even tho he was ranked bottom third is beyond me. Im sure theres a switched on aaa umpire who has a keen eye just waiting to get promoted.. Mlb needs to start demoting or retiring umpires who lose their skillz. This is a business.
Ian Kinsler is only going to get called strikes by Angel Hernandez from here on out. Just watch.
Screw Angel Hernandez. He’s a joke of an umpire
If Kinsler gets fined, I will send him some $$. I know he doesn’t need it, but thank you Ian for finally speaking out against that boob.
Gotta love JR’s commentary. Best owner of professional sports team in Chicago during my 61+ year lifetime even though most White Sox fans would disagree with me.
That’s not saying much, since all the sports teams in Chicago have been terrible for most of your adult life. Take MJ out of the picture, and I doubt you’d be happy with JR. He’s completely clueless about sports, and has wasted a lot of his money on bad rosters and mediocre players.
LOL-Take MJ out of the picture? Who was more influential in MJ’s career than JR? Perhaps you didn’t recall the period between the 3-peats when Reinsdorf granted Jordan’s wish to take a break from basketball to play baseball in the White Sox organization so he could fulfill his late father’s dream of his son becoming a MLB player. Some still believe the conspiracy theory involving MJ with his gambling issues and that maybe the whole baseball thing was a way to cover up his indiscretions before returning to the NBA to win 3 more titles for the Bulls.
In any event, JR was highly influential in Jordan’s career as a friend and confidante. To also suggest that JR is clueless about sports is ludicrous. He was the among the most influential owners in MLB for most of his time owning the White Sox and had he been successful in convincing a few more of his peers to stick to their guns in the contentious labor strife of the 1990’s MLB might have a better system in place that the current one. In addition, Reinsdorf has been an influential owner in matters involving the NBA.
JR’s first love was always baseball and not basketball. As a young fan growing in Brooklyn, he was heartbroken when his beloved Dodgers left for the West Coast. He made good on his wish to become an owner some day and despite using his club as leverage in negotiations to secure a new stadium deal with the state, he kept the team in Chicago despite first being rejected for an even better opportunity for his franchise in the western suburbs. Imo, had the deal in Addison, Il. gone down, the White Sox would be the alpha dog in Chicago baseball, not the Cubs.
Fulfilling his late fathers dream? Yeah, nothing to do with gambling or any ban…
Kudos to Ian Kinsler even though his outburst will likely cost him time and money. Angel Hernandez is exhibit #1 for the argument to implement a laser strike zone in MLB.
Jerry Reinsdorfs comments made me think of the situation the Tigers are in now. They wanted so badly to get Illitch a ring, which is understandable given how much of his heart and soul he poured into the team and the city of Detroit, but now the Tigers are almost forced to trade away Fulmer, one of the best young starters in baseball, to provide some hope for the future or watch him leave before the team is good again and waste at least half of his prime years. Glad ChiSox were proactive about their situation but Reinsdorf is now in a position to try and build a perennially contending team while most likely not getting to see any fruits of the labor. Not sure which road I’d choose.
He’s an 81 yr old billionaire. If he wanted truly wanted to win a WS before dementia or heart disease kicks in, he would have spent money on elite free agents when they needed it. He needs to put team needs ahead of his own ego now. That starts by letting someone younger and more competent handle the purse strings.
You really need to revisit your facts concerning JR and MLB. He is not among the most wealthy owners in the sport and didn’t become a billionaire until fairly recently, in part because of his personal involvement in securing TV deals and his influence in negotiating the NBA salary cap and revenue sharing provisions. In addition and despite his wealth, there are rules regarding how much personal wealth any owner can funnel into his club.
Btw-As a comparison, Reinsdorf’s former star player with the Bulls Michael Jordan was also a new addition to the sports billionaire club. JR and MJ’s wealth are fairly close but nowhere near the level of the majority of their peers in the NFL, NBA and MLB.
That’s a lot of speculation on where the Tigers are now. Just because WS traded Sale does not mean the Tigers will move Fullmer. The team would be much different if Miggy were having a typical year. Currently, they have the TOR set with JV and Fullmer. That’s not too bad a place.to start from
Robo-umps, please. Spare me the “it’s quaint and cool when humans mess things up” argument.
Get rid of the prima donna attention seekers and the incompetent bums.
Eliminate pitch framing. And spare me the “it’s a skill” argument. It adds nothing to the fan’s experience and punishes a better skill, plate awareness. Catchers being able to do more than move their gloves very slightly after pitches, like hit and throw, are skills, too.
Put sensors in each uniform that the computers can track so that the strike zone is correct for each batter and let’s go. It will be so much better.
You know I agree with you. An umpire should not determine the outcome of a game. Or… a players career. A young player might get only a few at bats in his career, be screwed by a bad umpire and that could get him sent down. We don’t look at the call we look at the results. I’m all for electronic strike zones. Way more accurate than umpires.
You want a perfect strike zone called in a 12-0 game….Or you want a borderline ball to be called a ball, with a 3-0 count, when a pitcher is throwing a perfect game in the 8th inning…?? Also, are robots going to patrol batters and pitchers when retaliation pitches are thrown for an opposing team hitting a batter…
There are several grey areas in baseball…ones that need judgment…Personally, I don’t want that left up to a machine…
If an umpire sucks, blame him, but don’t blame the rest of the umpires that do their job and make sacrifices for the love of the game…It’s a thankless job, but one that is necessary for the sports we all as fans love and enjoy…
You are aware that not a single ump would lose their job right? The call would need to be relayed right? Human element wouldn’t be gone from the game, the inaccurate calls the human element adds would be gone. I’m not sure why people are willing to exchange inaccurate results for “the human element “. My worry with the automated strike zone is not that borderline calls would be 100% accurate and more the results of that accuracy, it wouldn’t take long for players to figure out exactly what the strike zone is, stop swinging at breaking pitches and turning the game is beer league soft ball scores, maybe?
The problem is this would make baseball games take even longer then they already do, which would drive more fans away from the game. At this point there is no reasonable way to do any of this without adding 2-3 seconds per pitch which is another 8-15 minutes a game. I know that doesn’t seem like much but it adds up, and forget even thinking about calls on the bases that would be another what 30-60 seconds a call? That would be for the easy calls even at 30 seconds a call and lets say 40 outs on the bases (14 k’s taken out) best case scenario you just added a half hour to the game.
Well they already tested this out on an E60 or one of those shows like it a while back. Nobody in the stands had any clue that the umpire was receiving the balls and strikes calls from a blinking light in centerfield before making his call behind the plate.
Don’t need sensors, all they need is he current Pitch Trax setup that signals down to HP ump with the balls and strikes call and they’re there to make all of the rest of the judgment calls.
Not sure why Kinsler being ejected from a game for arguing a strike zone is considered to be national baseball news, as if it doesn’t happen dozens of times in a typical season. Just a couple of days earlier Chase Utley was tossed from a game after asking the 2B umpire to reposition himself to not block his view of the plate, a fairly routine request that is nearly always honored. That was one of the strangest ejections anyone had ever seen but it was reported absolutely nowhere outside the LA media. Sure Kinsler had some choice words for the umpire in his case, but then, so did Utley.
Use your brain. It isn’t “national baseball news” because he argued the strike zone; it’s because he went in HARD on Hernandez afterwards. That doesn’t happen “dozens of times in a typical season.”
I’m not seeing any real brain usage here. I think the problem is not that what I said isn’t a fact, but that I mentioned it.