Angel Hernandez retiring after 3-decade umpiring career

Baseball umpire Ángel Hernández is retiring with immediate effect, capping a contentious three-decade career that in recent years saw him become a target of criticism from players and a punching bag from fans on social media.

After umpiring hundreds of games since his debut in 1991, the 62-year-old Hernández, who in a statement verified previous rumors he would be retiring, agreed a deal to depart Major League Baseball, according to a source.

Hernández sued MLB in 2017 claiming the league had discriminated against him since he worked his last game on May 9 and Jacob Metz took his position on Lance Barksdale’s crew. An appeals court maintained the district court judge’s dismissal of the complaint last year.

Because of his tendency for making poor judgments—he had three rulings in the first four innings of a 2018 playoff game overturned by replay—Hernández was viewed with excessive contempt by fans. Hernández’s resentment of the case only served to heighten the groundswell, which eventually led to his retirement after a back ailment that kept him out of the game for the most of 2023.
Umpires, who have taken the brunt of criticism in recent years and rallied behind Hernandez personally, like him. But there was enough to be desired about his on-field performance that Hernández became one of the most criticized players in the tournament and a popular subject on social media.

Hernández has already called three strikes on pitches from Texas’ Wyatt Langford to Houston’s J.P. France that were wide off the plate this season. In 2022, Hernández ejected Philadelphia designated hitter Kyle Schwarber for slamming his bat after a Josh Hader pitch that was off the plate was deemed a strike three.

Other Hernández mistakes occurred before the league instituted instant replay, including as the time Chicago Bears great Steve McMichael was sent out of Wrigley Field after criticizing Hernández over the loudspeaker during the seventh inning stretch.

Hernández became the face of umpiring, a role that has grown in significance as umpires are expected to adopt pace-of-game measures like the pitch clock, especially when Joe West retired before to the 2022 season. The use of MLB’s computerized ball-strike system, which is already in use in the minor leagues but won’t be in the major leagues until the least 2026, may soon help — or maybe take over — ball-and-strike umpiring, which emerged front and center in the criticism of Hernández.

Despite the purposeful obscurity of the umpire grade system, commissioner Rob Manfred defended the league’s work with umpires during the owner’s conferences last week.

“The Athletic reports that there is, in fact, a really detailed evaluation system,” stated Manfred. “Twice a year, in the middle and conclusion of the season, they are reviewed. In terms of what they get in postseason assignments, which is a significant portion of their pay, such assessments have financial consequences. And more often than most people think, umpires are subjected to required corrective actions.

Having saying that, I believe that umpire management is… a physically taxing profession. It includes more than just discipline, training, and assessment. It also covers issues like considering their future course and the length of time they should be working. And that affects matters such as your retirement scheme. I mean, I don’t believe everyone quite understands everything that goes into managing it.”
Hernández last umpired a league championship series in 2016; he has not worked a World Series game since 2005. His case against the league was based on his lack of postseason assignments and, despite his tenure, no advancement to crew chief.

Hernández pointed the finger at umpiring commissioner Joe Torre, who subsequently claimed in a statement that Hernández had a “overly confrontational style.” Baseball was awarded a summary judgment in the dispute by the court.

Hernández added in his whole statement: “I have had the very excellent fortune of realizing my boyhood ambition of umpiring in the big leagues, starting with my first big League game in 1991.

“Working in a career you love is the best kind of job. Along the road, I have met friends and colleagues that I have loved, including our locker room attendants in every city.

I now want to spend more time with my family.

“Suffice to say, since I started working in baseball, the game has seen a lot of good developments. Promotion and growth of minorities are included in this. I am pleased to have contributed actively to that aim while serving as a Major League umpire.”