A week after Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler shared some “not safe for work” advice with umpire Angel Hernandez, the price tag that subsequently followed his tirade has been released.
Although he avoided being suspended as a result of his meltdown, he was fined. The amount of the fine was initially undisclosed, but a report has surfaced today indicating that the fine was $10,000.
After watching the altercation, plenty of speculation about what Kinsler actually said leading up to the ejection has ensued. Some has said that it looks as if Kinsler uttered the words “you (expletive) suck at your job”, among other things. The next day, Kinsler continued to rip Hernandez while speaking to reporters, saying that he “needs to find another job”.
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus was not impressed with the amount of the fine, saying that “it’s a level almost unheard of in fine for players”.
Since the tirade, the incident has garnered quite a bit of attention. Umpires across the league wore white wristbands on Saturday in a protest against “abusive player behavior”, but they abruptly ended the protest when league commissioner Rob Manfred met with the umpires union.
Last week, major league umpires released a statement regarding Kinsler’s comments towards Hernandez, saying that the fine and lack of a suspension was “lenient” and that his verbal attack “denigrated the entire MLB umpiring staff and is unacceptable”. They also stated that “enough is enough”.
#WUA issued the following statement in response to escalating verbal attacks: pic.twitter.com/wGLIoLOUq0
— Major League Baseball Umpires Association (@MLBUA) August 19, 2017
Although Kinsler is making $11 million this season alone, a $10,000 fine puts a small dent in his bank account. The fine is the highest amount that a player has been forced to pay in a non-suspension situation since Nyjer Morgan was fined $15,000 for fighting in 2010. Most fines in the MLB are closer to $1,000 or $2,000.
It is yet to be seen if this will be the new status-quo for verbal assault fines, or if this was just a case of the commissioner making a point.
