Major League Baseball ump Angel Hernandez accused of eavesdropping on investigative call

An umpire who has been in the spotlight for controversial calls, as well as for his lawsuit against MLB claiming racial discrimination, is being accused of eavesdropping on an investigative call with MLB officials.

During a phone interview over rules confusion and a 14-minute delay during a game between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, Angel Hernandez remained on the line to listen to an interview with umpire Ed Hickox, baseball officials allege in lawsuit-related court filings, as reported by Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic.

Hernandez was acting crew chief for the July 24 Red Sox loss.

After the Rays moved pitcher Adam Kolarek to first base, Hernandez “had to be reminded” that a team loses its designated hitter under those circumstances, MLB claims. He also didn’t adhere to a rule requiring the Rays manager to assign batting order replacements after the switch, according to a letter from then-chief baseball officer Joe Torre.

The investigative calls with Hernandez and Hickox were intended to be separate, Torre says, alleging Hernandez knew that and still remained on the line silently while Hickox made statements “you later claimed to be inaccurate.”

“Simply put, we find your asserted justifications for remaining on the line to be implausible, internally inconsistent, premised on facts that are incorrect and not credible,” Torre writes.

He adds, “this is an egregious offense,” and that he’s stripping Hernandez of is acting crew chief status, the report says.

MLB says umpire Angel Hernandez eavesdropped during 2019 investigation, per report https://t.co/CbbJF6kqBp

— CBS Sports MLB (@CBSSportsMLB) June 8, 2020

“The Torre letter was affixed to a large batch of MLB filings seeking dismissal by the New York federal court of Hernandez’s lawsuit,” The Athletic reports. Hernandez claims he was discriminated against, that MLB promotes mostly white umpires to World Series roles and that Torre never forgave him for a call that went against him when he was Yankees manager in 2001.

A lawyer for Hernandez claims the eavesdropping claim is retaliation for filing suit.

MLB, in legal filings, has a different explanation than racism for its placement of Hernandez. As well as the delay, it lists a number of missteps, including that “as an interim crew chief in 2012, Hernandez violated MLB rules by asking homer Bailey, who had pitched a no-hitter, to autograph 11 baseballs for himself and the crew,” and “having three calls overturned by replay in the first four innings of a 2018 playoff game between the Yankees and Red Sox,” The Athletic reports.

MLB says Hernandez “does not have the comportment to be a crew chief or work the World Series,” Kaplan writes.

Former Red Sox ace and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez said of Hernandez, “Major League Baseball needs to do something about Angel … It doesn’t matter how many times he sues Major League Baseball. He’s as bad as there is,” according to Sports Illustrated.

Tough night for umpire Angel Hernandez. Call overturned. pic.twitter.com/KDjRkEDRsO

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 9, 2018