In 2002, MLB sued the umpires union in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan in an attempt to discipline Hirschbeck, the union's head. The complaint alleged that Hirschbeck had ordered a member of his umpiring crew not to warn a pitcher for intentionally throwing at a batter. The case alleged that Hirschbeck's performance as an umpire was "well below par" and specifically mentioned a May 4, 2002, game in Cleveland which Hirschbeck had umpired at home plate. According to vice president for umpiring Ralph Nelson, thirty of the 127 pitches Hirschbeck had called were incorrect, with twenty-two pitches off the plate called strikes by the umpire. Nelson referred to Hirschbeck's performance in that game as the "worst by any umpire in any Questec game this year by a substantial margin." Baseball had already issued a warning letter to Hirschbeck on May 10, 2002, accusing him of misconduct during a game he had worked on April 28 of that year. In that letter, it was charged that Hirschbeck's actions violated the Official Playing Rules of Major League Baseball, and that Hirschbeck's threat to his supervisor that he would issue needless warnings to pitchers in future games and instruct other umpires to do the same would have "serious repercussions" for Hirschbeck if carried out.