Umpire Laz Diaz calls out ‘nasty’ MLB climate as he ends storied career | Exclusive

PHOENIX — When Laz Diaz arrived at Tiger Stadium to make his major-league debut, Sparky Anderson was in the Detroit Tigers dugout, Phil Garner was managing the Milwaukee Brewers, and the lineups were littered with names like Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson, Cecil Fielder, David Wells, B.J. Surhoff and Daryl Hamilton.

Now, 31 years later, with Tiger Stadium long gone, Diaz will be back in Detroit, this time at Comerica Park, where he is scheduled to be the home-plate umpire Saturday, Sept. 26, when future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander makes his final appearance.

Diaz, who was also the home-plate umpire in Verlander’s first postseason game in 2006 at Yankee Stadium – a 4-3 victory in the AL Division Series – now is calling it a career, too.

Diaz, 63, only the second Latino crew chief in MLB history and a former Marine Corps reserve, is umpiring his final regular-season game Sunday, Sept. 27. He and six other veteran umpires have taken the buyouts and will say good-bye to a game that has dramatically changed.

When Diaz arrived, there were no video reviews. No ABS system. No challenges. No pitch-coms. No mandatory checks for banned substances. No New York review center.

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/