Fans celebrate Angel Hernandez's retirement with controversial calls (2024)

MLB fans are rejoicing after controversial umpire Angel Hernandez announced his retirement Monday.

Hernandez, 62, called it quits after a three-decade career in the majors filled with contentious calls at the plate.

The umpire, who was born in Cuba, announced his retirement in a statement, citing his desire to spend more time with his family as a driving factor, while hailing his career in MLB as a 'childhood dream.'

While his career may have been a dream come true for Hernandez, it was a source of ridicule for fans, coaches, players and even announcers alike.

Baseball fans celebrated the announcement as they recalled his most memorable controversial calls on social media.

One of the most popular moments in Hernandez's MLB history that did the rounds on social media on Tuesday was Bryce Harper's infamous outburst.

Hernandez incurred the wrath of the Phillies star when he deemed that Harper brought his bat across the plane against the Padres last September.

An irate Harper stormed over to third base, unleashing an epic war of words with the umpire who immediately tossed him from the game.

Harper joined Philadelphia teammate Kyle Schwarber in making an enemy in Hernandez after the Phillies outfielder suffered a similar outburst in 2022.

After a ninth-inning strikeout, which saw Hernandez call a strike on a low, outside pitch on a 3-2 count, Schwarber's tensions boiled over. He threw down his bat and his helmet and proceeded to wildly gesticulate at the umpire, seemingly trying to explain the rules of baseball to him.

Other fans share the momentYankees' Gleyber Torres was called out on three strikes on a pitch outside the zone earlier this year. The second baseman immediately turned to Hernandez, pointing to the mound and arguing that Blues Jays' pitcher Bowden Francis had disengaged and quickly stepped back on the rubber before throwing the pitch.

In Game 3 of the 2018 AL Division Series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, Hernández had three calls at first base overturned on video replay reviews.

It's not only players and fans who have taken issue with Hernandez with several announcers being stunned in disbelief at the umpire's calls over the years.

Not even a week after his botched call on Torres at Yankee Stadium, Hernandez had the Rangers broadcast going ballistic.

Down in Houston, he called three straight strikes on pitches from the Astros' JP France that were well wide of the zone with the Rangers' Wyatt Langford at the plate.

After the third call, the announcers were stunned, calling out: 'You have got to be kidding me!'

White Sox broadcaster Ken 'Hawk' Harrelson was similarly sent over the edge in 2013 during a game against the Miami Marlins.

Chicago had the bases loadedwith one out in the bottom of the 10th inning when Alex Rios hit a ground run that should have plated the winning run.

The Marlins' only hope was an improbable double play, which they failed to pull off as Rios clearly beat the relay throw to first. However, Hernandez deemed otherwise and with instant replay not yet in effect, his call cost the White Sox the win.

Harrelson lost his mind, shouting on the broadcast: 'Oh no. No. No. No ... He is safe and ANOTHER blown call by Hernandez!'

Last summer, Hernandez lost for a second time in his racial discrimination lawsuit against MLB when a federal appeals court refused to reinstate his case. The 2nd Circuit US Court of Appeals upheld a 2021 District Court decision that granted MLB a summary judgment.

Hernandez sued in 2017. He alleged he was discriminated against because he had not been assigned to the World Series since 2005 and had been passed over for crew chief. He served as an interim crew chief from 2011-16.

'Hernandez has failed to establish a statistically significant disparity between the promotion rates of white and minority umpires,' the 2nd Circuit said in an 11-page decision. '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. Hernández offers no explanation as to why MLB´s statistical evidence is unreliable.'

Hernandez was sidelined by a back injury last season until July 31. This year he was behind the plate eight times, including for his final game May 9 between the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox.

USA Today and ESPN, each citing an anonymous source, reported Hernández reached a settlement to leave MLB. USA Today reported the sides spent the last two weeks negotiating a financial settlement before coming to an agreement this past weekend.

Born in Cuba, Hernandez was hired as a big league umpire in 1993. He worked two World Series (2002, 2005), three All-Star Games (1999, 2009, 2017) and eight League Championship Series, with his last LCS assignment coming in 2016.