Laz Diaz is going out with some verbal fireworks to commemorate his retirement as an MLB umpire.
The 63-year-old agreed to a buyout with MLB earlier this year, meaning he will retire at season’s end. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Diaz was one of seven veteran umpires who took the buyout.
Diaz recently spoke to Nightengale about his decision to step away after 31 seasons of calling balls and strikes. While the infamous official expressed sadness about missing the people he’s built relationships with over the years, he admitted that he “won’t miss the game” amid the vitriol umpires hear in today’s social media era.
“I tell these young guys there’s so much pressure in this game,” Diaz said. “So, if you’re not going to have fun in this game, don’t do it. Do not do it. It’s not worth it. There’s just so much scrutiny and negative stuff now.
“It’s nasty. We don’t get the recognition. Everybody is putting us down. Like with Angel [Hernandez] and C.B. [Bucknor], they got so much criticism, and they’re great umpires. But everything is just so (expletive) negative.
“There are a lot of people I’m going to miss, and I made a lot of friends, but what I won’t miss is the game. Not one bit. It’s just changed so much. There’s so much more technical stuff. It’s kind of restricted us. I mean, everything is black and white now. You can’t manage the game.”
Despite the scathing rant, Diaz still felt “blessed” to have such a lengthy career spanning multiple eras in MLB. He worked three World Series and was also on duty when Barry Bonds hit his 756th career home run to pass Hank Aaron for the all-time record.
Umpires have faced even more scrutiny of late, with the introduction of the ABS system this season allowing players to challenge ball and strike calls. Multiple umpires, including Diaz himself, have had contentious moments on the field after getting their calls challenged.
The ABS system may very well have been the final straw for veteran officials such as Diaz and the equally controversial CB Bucknor, who is also retiring at the end of the 2026 campaign.
