Former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies leadoff man Lenny ‘Nails’ Dykstra claims he spent over $500k on private investigators to dig up dirt on MLB umpires during his playing career.

Dykstra explained that, specifically in 1993, he would use the info to coerce umpires into giving him a smaller strike zone at the plate.

“It wasn’t a coincidence … I led the league in walks the next few years, was it?” said Dykstra, who finished second in MVP voting in 1993.

“[Umpires] blood is just as red as ours,” he claimed. “Some of them like women, some of them like men, some of them gamble, some of them do whatever.”

“Fear does a lot to a man.”

While the claims are wholly interesting, perhaps Dykstra also should have put some of that money towards a financial advisor.

The 12-year MLB veteran was sentenced to six and a half months in federal custody back in 2012 following a bankruptcy fraud case, to go along with his long-established history with the law.

Is blackmailing umpires fair game?