SUING UMP TO WORK ALL-STARS
Angel Hernandez’s complaint against Major League Baseball alleges racial discrimation. He will be at first base Tuesday.
On Monday, veteran umpire Angel Hernandez filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball alleging that he had been passed over for professional advancement because of his ethnicity and because Joe Torre, MLB’s chief baseball officer, has personal “animosity” toward him stemming from Torre’s days as manager of the New York Yankees.
On Thursday, the league announced that Hernandez will work first base at Tuesday night’s All-Star Game in Miami.
While it may seem a little too convenient, umpires must be told of their all-star game assignment “not less than 30 days prior to the game,” according to an MLB.com story. So if the league was following its standards, Hernandez knew he would be working the game before he filed the lawsuit.
According to MLB, umpires are chosen for “special events” such as the all-star game by the Office of the Commissioner based on merit.
It will be the third all-star game for the Cuban-born Hernandez, who has been an MLB umpire since 1993. He contends in his lawsuit that he’s been passed over for promotion to a higher-paying permanent crew chief job four times, despite receiving positive evaluations, and that Torre has let bad feelings from his managerial days color his judgment of Hernandez since the ex-Yankees skipper joined the MLB front office in 2011.
For instance, Torre remarked that Hernandez “just wanted to be noticed over there” after a May 2001 game during which Hernandez made a call that went against New York. In his lawsuit, the umpire claims that “the notion that Hernandez ‘just wanted to be noticed’ permeated Hernandez’s yearly evaluations, as did Torre’s general negative attitude towards Hernandez.”
Hernandez will be at first base as part of a crew headed by Joe West. Also on the crew as replay umpire in New York will be Las Cruces native Doug Eddings.
ROYALS: Manager Ned Yost finds somewhat mystifying the question of whether Kansas City will be buyers or sellers as the trade deadline approaches.
“We’re a game and a half out of first place,” Yost said Wednesday. “Why would we even think about selling?”
Indeed, the Royals were 44-40 and a half game behind Cleveland in the American League Central going into Thursday. The Royals have won 18 of 24 and surging back into the playoff hunt.
Yet, the organization will still face a freeagent puzzle in the offseason as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Jason Vargas and Alcides Escobar prepare to hit the open market for the first time. They also have a farm system perceived as middle of the pack and a collection of expiring assets that could be used to replenish it.
GIANTS: Madison Bumgarner’s comeback remains on schedule, even after a bumpy rehabilitation start. The left-hander gave up nine runs — and four homers — over the span of 76 pitches for Class A San Jose on Wednesday night. The 2014 World Series MVP will throw once more in San Jose, on Monday, with a 90-pitch limit.
ANGELS: Playing for the Angels’ high Class-A affiliate, the Inland Empire 66ers as part of a rehabilitation assignment, Mike Trout was 0-for-3 on Wednesday, batting third and serving as the designated hitter. It was Trout’s first game action since tearing a ligament in his left thumb May 28.
ALL-STARS: Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner and Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas have been elected to the All-Star Game in online voting for the final initial roster spots.