So, this happened: Ángel Hernández has finally retired.
Last Monday night, much-maligned umpire Ángel Hernández announced his retirement, effective immediately. He broke into the league in 1991 and became a full-time umpire in 1993. Hernández umpired his final game on May 9. A back injury sidelined him for most of the 2023 season.
Back injury? We sure he wasn’t sidelined because he had an appointment for LASIK? I mean, it’s a thought.
To say Hernández was unpopular with fans and players would be an understatement. He has long been regarded publicly as baseball’s worst umpire even though the data shows he’s merely below average rather than the worst in the game. Hernández did tend to be combative, however, and escalate things when his job was to deescalate. The man liked to wield his authority.
Understatement of the century, there. The guy was an absolute ass and tried unsuccessfully to sue MLB for discrimination because he was never a crew chief during playoff games. I’m sorry, dude, but it ain’t discrimination when YOU FUCKING SUCK AT YOUR JOB. Seriously, I remember a game at Miller Park where you were the home plate umpire. A fan sitting behind me said that everyone was getting a minimum of four strikes because you were calling the pitches. At least you’re somebody else’s problem now.
The real tragedy is that you didn’t take Laz Diaz with you. But this is a good start.
Iacon East 