It is the end of a wild career for MLB umpire Angel Hernandez, who announced his retirement late Monday night.
Hernandez last worked on May 9, and now, it seems to make sense why he had been off the field for nearly three weeks before suddenly calling it a career.
Reports say that Hernandez and Major League Baseball reached a financial settlement in order for the 62-year-old to hang it up during the season.
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Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez works a game between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 6, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Hernandez’s lawyer, Kevin Murphy, told “The Athletic” that he was “NOT kicked out.”
Hernandez, in formerly announcing his retirement himself, said he wants to “spend more time with my 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,” Hernandez’s statement read. “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.”
MLB umpire Angel Hernandez gestures during a game between the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals on June 15, 2019 at the Target Field in Minneapolis. (Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
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Hernandez grew a reputation for being one of the most controversial umpires in baseball. He ranks 67th out of 85 umpires in correct call rate this year. Near the end of last year, he ranked dead last.
As replays have become more prevalent, and the automated strike zone has become more of a reality, Hernandez has been under a much larger microscope, and his bad calls have gone viral.
In a game last month, he made some of the worst calls in the history of pitch-tracking.
Several MLB players, including C.C. Sabathia, said Hernandez should not have had a job.
Hernandez joined the MLB ranks in 1991 as a National League umpire and has been in the majors since 2000.
Umpire Angel Hernandez walks across the field in the eighth inning of the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on June 9, 2022 in Cincinnati. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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Hernandez once accused the league of “manipulating the performance of Mr. Hernandez and other minority umpires,” which in turn has prevented more minority umpires from becoming crew chiefs.
In March 2021, Hernandez lost a lawsuit against Major League Baseball that alleged racial discrimination. In the lawsuit, filed in 2017, Hernandez said he had been discriminated against because he had not been assigned to a World Series since 2005 and had not been made a crew chief.
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