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The game is serious
Angel Hernandez, the polarizing veteran umpire who drew the ire and ire of players, managers and fans for three decades, is retiring from Major League Baseball, a top baseball official told USA TODAY Sports.
MLB and Hernandez spent the past two weeks negotiating a financial settlement and reached a settlement over the weekend.
The longtime referee confirmed his retirement in a statement to USA TODAY Sports on Monday night:
“I have had the great experience of fulfilling my childhood dream of umpiring in the big leagues, starting with my first big league game in 1991. I have treasured the camaraderie of my colleagues and the friendships I have made along the way.
“I’ve decided I want to spend more time with my family.”
Hernandez, 62, served as the home-plate umpire on May 9 in the Chicago White Sox’ 3-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field and has not returned since.
Hernandez, one of baseball’s most controversial umpires, filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against MLB in 2017, alleging that he was passed over for team leadership and World Series assignments because of his race. He last umpired the 2005 World Series and the 2016 League Championship Series.
The case was dismissed in US District Court in 2021, granting summary judgment to MLB. The 2n.d The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling last year.
“Hernandez failed to establish a statistically significant difference between the promotion rates of white and minority jurors,” the appeals court said in its 11-page ruling. “MLB has provided convincing expert evidence demonstrating that, during the years at issue, the difference in team leadership promotion rates between white and minority umpires was not statistically significant. Hernandez offers no explanation as to why MLB’s statistical evidence is unreliable.
A Cuban-American, Hernandez began umpiring professionally in the Florida State League at age 20.
“There have been many positive changes in baseball since I first entered the business,” Hernandez said in his statement Monday. “That includes expanding and encouraging minorities. As a major league umpire, I’m proud to have been an active participant in that goal.”
He was promoted to full-time MLB umpire in 1993, and in recent years has been considered the game’s worst umpire by players and managers alike.
He was heavily criticized on social media this season on April 12 when Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford. He was out on three consecutive pitches which were outside the strike zone. He missed seven other pitchers who were at least three inches outside the strike zone.
Hernandez only played in 10 games last season because of a back injury, but he missed 161 calls. According to the referee auditor.
In Game 3 of the 2018 American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez had three calls overturned when he fouled him in DBS.
“Angel is terrible,” he said. “Don’t follow me now Angel. Major League Baseball needs to do something about Angel. It doesn’t matter how many times he sues Major League Baseball, how bad he is. .”
Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia said after the game: “I don’t understand why he makes these plays. He’s always bad. He’s a bad referee.”
According to MLB’s statistical studies and reports, Hernandez has never been considered MLB’s worst umpire, but in the court of public opinion, no one has missed more calls as a home-plate umpire.
Now, fronts of time he has escaped the taunts and mockery that followed him and left the game.
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