Major League Baseball reportedly fined Ian Kinsler $10,000 for comments he made Tuesday about umpire Angel Hernandez.
Buster Olney of ESPN reported the news, noting Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said the amount was almost unheard of among players. Car Logo Air Freshener
"To act like Ian Kinsler just got fined. It's the biggest fine I've ever seen Major League Baseball give a player," Ausmus told reporters. "So I don't want to hear—I don't want them to minimize—that he's not being punished. I'm not going to put a number on it. It's the biggest I've ever seen."
MLB umpires wore white wristbands Saturday to protest "escalating verbal attacks" against them. Kinsler said Hernandez, who has been an umpire for more than two decades, should find a different line of work. On Sunday, he commented on the protest.
"I really don't think too deeply into it," Kinsler told reporters. "I hope they wear the white wristbands for the rest of their careers. I don't care. I said what I felt and what I thought. If they take offense to that, that's their problem.''
Umpires ended their protest Sunday when Commissioner Rob Manfred agreed to meet with them to address their concerns.
"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 umpires said in a statement. "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 wristbands pending the requested meeting."
Badge Metal Pin Discord between MLB players and umpires has been trending upward throughout the season. Some players and managers have even begun clamoring for automated umpiring, particularly when it comes to balls and strikes.