Ángel Hernández, the controversial baseball umpire who has been mocked by fans, coaches and players across the Major League Baseball spectrum, has announced his retirement from the sport.
Hernández worked his last game behind the plate on May 9 in a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians. He was replaced on the crew and did not return.
A high-ranking MLB official initially told the news to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on condition of anonymity, ahead of Major League Baseball’s expected announcement on Tuesday.
However, Hernández confirmed his retirement Monday night, saying in a statement: “Starting with my first Major League game in 1991, I have had the very good experience of living my childhood dream of being an umpire in the Major Leagues.” “.
‘There is nothing better than working in a profession that you like. I treasure the camaraderie of my colleagues and the friendships I have made along the way, including our wardrobe assistants in every city.
Ángel Hernández, the most controversial referee in the Major Leagues, will retire on Tuesday
‘I have decided that I want to spend more time with my family. Needless to say, there have been many positive changes in the game of baseball since I entered the profession. This includes the expansion and promotion of minorities.
“I’m proud to have been able to be an active participant in that goal while being a major league umpire.”
Hernández has called two World Series in his career in 2002 and 2005, while calling eight League Championship Series and 12 Division Series.
He had earned a reputation as one of the worst umpires in Major League Baseball, and player polls backed him up for nearly two decades.
In 2006 and 2011, Sports Illustrated polls of MLB players ranked Hernandez as the third-worst umpire in the majors, and a 2010 ESPN poll showed that 22 percent of MLB players identified him as the worse in the big leagues.
In July 2017, Hernández sued MLB, alleging that racial discrimination was part of the reason he was passed over for World Series games and promotions to crew chief.
The case was ruled in favor of Major League Baseball in March 2021, saying that MLB did not discriminate against Hernandez and that “the evidence shows… that an umpire’s leadership and handling of the situation prevailed in promotion decisions.” of MLB”.
He has a reputation among fans, players and coaches for being one of the worst umpires in the MLB.
In 2022 it was revealed that Hernández would be on the 2018 World Series team. But that changed when he had three calls overturned at first base in Game 3 of the ALDS between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
“This was the first time since the advent of expanded instant replay in 2014 that an umpire had three calls overturned in a postseason game,” MLB said in its lawsuit filing.
Hernández’s playing load had been decreasing in recent years, and the referee was only called up for ten MLB games in 2023.
But even with that being the case, Sports Illustrated reported that Hernandez missed 161 calls all season and his accuracy in the strike zone in a mid-September Pirates-Nationals game was the worst of any umpire in the previous five years.
Hernandez has only been in the call behind the plate for eight games this season.
