1 year ago
 (200 x 200 px).png)
Longtime MLB umpire Ángel Hernández, who was often criticized for his calls, is retiring immediately.
During a career that lasted more than three decades, the 62-year-old Hernández was often scorned by players, managers and fans for missed calls and quick ejections – some in high-profile situations.
Hernández issued a statement through MLB on Monday night saying he has decided he wants to spend more time with his family.
“Starting with my first major league game in 1991, I have had the very good experience of living out my childhood dream of umpiring in the major leagues. There is nothing better than working at a profession that you enjoy. I treasured the camaraderie of my colleagues and the friendships I have made along the way, including our locker room attendants in all the various cities,” Hernández said.
“Needless to say, there have been many positive changes in the game of baseball since I first entered the profession. This includes the expansion and promotion of minorities. I am proud that I was able to be an active participant in that goal while being a major league umpire.”
Last summer, Hernández lost for a second time in his racial discrimination lawsuit against MLB when a federal appeals court refused to reinstate his case. The court upheld a 2021 decision that granted MLB a summary judgment.
Hernández sued in 2017. He alleged he was discriminated against because he had not been assigned to the World Series since 2005 and had been passed over for crew chief. He served as an interim crew chief from 2011-16.
“Hernández has failed to establish a statistically significant disparity between the promotion rates of white and minority umpires,” the court said in an 11-page decision. “MLB has provided persuasive expert evidence demonstrating that, during the years at issue, the difference in crew chief promotion rates between white and minority umpires was not statistically significant. Hernández offers no explanation as to why MLB’s statistical evidence is unreliable.”
Hernández was sidelined by a back injury last season until 31 July. This year he was behind the plate eight times, including for his final game on 9 May between the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox.
USA Today and ESPN, each citing an anonymous source, reported Hernández reached a settlement to leave MLB. USA Today reported the sides spent the last two weeks negotiating a financial settlement before coming to an agreement this past weekend.
Born in Cuba, Hernández was hired as a big league umpire in 1993. He worked two World Series (2002, 2005), three All-Star Games (1999, 2009, 2017) and eight League Championship Series, with his last LCS assignment coming in 2016.
Hernández’s most infamous moment came in Game 3 of the 2018 AL Division Series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, when he had three calls at first base overturned on video replay reviews. This season, he attracted heavy criticism after he called three strikes that were significantly outside the plate during an at-bat by the Texas Rangers’ Wyatt Langford.
Despite antipathy among fans, coaches and players, Hernández was popular among his fellow umpires and they often supported him as online attacks on officials became more frequent with the rise of social media.
The calling of balls and strikes could soon become farmed out to so-called robot umpires, although such a move won’t take place in the major leagues until at least the 2026 season.
English (US) ·