When Lenny Dykstra admitted to blackmailing umpires by sending private investigators after them

During his playing career, former MLB star Lenny Dykstra allegedly spent $500,000 hiring private detectives to gather information on umpires that he then used to his advantage.

He said in an interview reported by ESPN in 2015 that his attempts at blackmail were evident from the fact that he led the National League that year in walks, hits, and runs. He also came in second behind Barry Bonds in the MVP race, having helped Philadelphia win the World Series.

"It wasn't a coincidence, you think, [that] I led the league in walks the next few years, was it?" asked Dykstra. "Fear does a lot to a man. ... I had to do what I had to do to win and to support my family," he said.

After the season, he agreed to a multi-year deal of about $25 million and became the highest-paid leadoff hitter in baseball.

WOAH. WOAH. Lenny Dykstra says he hired PI's to track umpires & use information against them. #TheHerd

As a member of the 1986 New York Mets, Lenny Dykstra was a three-time All-Star and won the World Series. He has been plagued by legal and financial issues ever since he retired.

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Lenny Dykstra's financial woes saw him serve time in prison

Many years ago, Dykstra said he owed more than $31 million and had only $50,000 in assets when he filed for bankruptcy. Prosecutors claimed that Dykstra concealed, sold, or destroyed property worth at least $200,000 after filing without the consent of a bankruptcy trustee.

In 2012, Dykstra received a six-and-a-half-month prison sentence for concealing baseball gloves and other memorabilia from his playing days that were intended to be included in his bankruptcy file. He had previously spent seven months in jail as he awaited punishment.

Florida Marlins v New York Mets

In 2012, he entered a guilty plea to one count of bankruptcy fraud, one count of asset concealment, and one count of money laundering.