One of the most controversial baseball figures has decided to call it quits, with umpire Angel Hernandez announcing his retirement on Monday. With Hernandez walking away from his craft for good, he ends a lengthy career in the big leagues that lasted over three decades.
“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 (h/t Jeff Passan of ESPN).
“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,” added Hernandez.
The 62-year-old Hernandez also said that one of the driving reasons behind his retirement was his desire to be with his family more.
“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.”
In what turned out to be his final umpire work in the big leagues, Angel Hernandez helped officiate the series opener between the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field on May 9 which the South Siders won, 3-2. In that game, Hernandez posted a 109.3 CCAx (Correct Calls Above Expected) and -1.3 CCAx (Correct Calls Above Expected), according to Ump Score Cards.
Before he retired, Angel Hernandez ranked in the 26th percentile among MLB umpires in terms of accuracy, 69th in expected accuracy, 11th in accuracy above expected, 20th in consistency, fourth in favor, and 1st in leverage, also according to Ump Score Cards.
Social media reacts to Angel Hernandez’s retirement from MLB
As expected, many fans and personalities celebrated Hernandez’s retirement like it was a holiday, as they flooded social media with epic reactions.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you Ángel Hernández. You gave me more content than I could have possibly dreamed of. I didn’t deserve you. Enjoy your retirement, king,” said X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) use @UmpireAuditor.
“Angel Hernandez was probably the worst umpire of all time. But without him, we wouldn’t have this hilarious moment, and for that I will be forever grateful.”
“Never forget that Angel Hernandez once damn near gave Hawk Harrelson a stroke.”
“Not to be dramatic but the announcement of Angel Hernandez retiring is the single greatest piece of news in the history of the sports world,” posted @YankeeWRLD.
“People really don’t talk enough about how Angel Hernandez, arguably the worst MLB umpire of all time, tried to sue the MLB for racism for not assigning him to playoff games and in court the MLB just wheeled out a TV and showed how dogs**t he was at his job,” shared @RobFoxThree.
“The fact that he had to retire and not get fired is actually disappointing,” chimed in @Furnacepicks.
From @A_Huffstutler: “Someone write this date down because baseball is united right now! Phillies and Braves fans. Red Sox and Yankees fans… all cheering for one thing! We love to see it!”
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