Longtime MLB Umpire Angel Hernandez Announces Retirement

Getty Former MLB umpire Angel Hernandez

Angel Hernandez will retire, effective immediately, the longtime Major League Baseball umpire confirmed on Monday, May 27.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale first reported the news.

Angel Hernandez:
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…

“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,” Hernandez said in a statement. “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.

“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 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.”

Fans knew Hernandez as one of the more controversial umpires in the majors, with his missed calls making for frequent social media fodder. One of his most notable — or notorious — games came in the 2018 American League Division Series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Hernandez was the first base umpire for Game 3 of that series and had three calls overturned.

“I don’t understand why he’s doing these games. He’s always bad. He’s a bad umpire,” Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia said after the game.

Lawyer: Angel Hernandez ‘Was Not Forced Out’

Shortly after Hernandez released his statement, Sam Blum of The Athletic reported that Hernandez’s lawyer, Kevin Murphy, said the umpire was “NOT forced out” by MLB.

Angel Hernandez’s lawyer, Kevin Murphy, told me via text that “He was NOT forced out” by MLB.

A source w/ knowledge told @Ken_Rosenthal that MLB approached Hernandez about moving on from umping. And he agreed.

Full story: t.co/Mzf9UkoKvl

Hernandez statement, via MLB:

In addition to routinely making headlines for his missed calls, Hernandez drew plenty of attention in 2017 when he sued Major League Baseball, alleging the league passed him over for crew chief positions and World Series assignments because of his race.

US District Court dismissed the lawsuit in 2021 and the 2nd Circuit US Court of Appeals upheld the decision in 2023.

“Hernandez has failed to establish a statistically significant disparity between the promotion rates of white and minority umpires,” the decision read. “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. Hernandez offers no explanation as to why MLB’s statistical evidence is unreliable.”

Social Media Reacts

Fans and media alike took to social media Monday night to get their jokes off and offer their thoughts on the biggest news of the night in baseball.

Kyle Clark quipped that Hernandez is “out,” or as he would call it, “safe.”

Jomboy Media decided to honor him with a recap of one of his most legendary accomplishments.

Angel Hernandez ejects three Royals in one inning

Grant Paulsen probably had the best celebratory dance, though we’d like to see actual video just to make sure.

Me at my house tonight, upon hearing that Angel Hernandez is retiring.

We all may be tired of brands weighing in on trending topics, but Lasik got this one right.

We tried to give Angel free LASIK but he missed the call. 🤷‍♀️

Never forget that Steve McMichael was ahead of the curve, calling Hernandez out in 2001.

Angel Hernandez is retiring from umpiring MLB

Throwback to 2001 when Steve McMichael called him out before the 7th inning stretch 😂

Gary Sheffield Jr. even looked toward the future when another controversial umpire may leave the game.

Robots replacing CB Buckner in 2027 now that Angel Hernandez packed his bags early for Arizona

And finally, Jessica Kleinschmidt nailed it. Angel Hernandez gave us all something to cheer about.

Say what you want about Angel Hernandez, but he brought us all together.