Ángel Hernández Retires: The End of an Umpiring Era

After 30 years of umpiring, Ángel Hernández announced his retirement, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. The decision comes as scrutiny on umpires has intensified with the advent of replay and talk of an automated strike zone.

Ángel Hernández, known for his contentious calls and fiery personality, has decided to step down as an umpire after three decades of service in Major League Baseball (MLB). The 62-year-old Hernández announced his retirement on Monday night, accepting a financial settlement to end his career.

Hernández's umpiring career has been marked by controversy and criticism. He has been consistently ranked among the worst umpires in baseball, with his questionable calls and erratic demeanor often drawing the ire of fans and players alike.

The advent of replay and the increasing discussion of an automated strike zone have brought even more scrutiny to umpiring, and Hernández has found himself at the center of the debate. ESPN's MLB insider Jeff Passan believes that these factors played a role in Hernández's decision to retire early.

"It makes me wonder, like, what's my responsibility and what's my part in this?" Passan told "The Rich Eisen Show. "Because I think sometimes we take for granted what social media actually does and how it brings out the absolute worst in a lot of us."

Passan acknowledged that Hernández was "genuinely bad" at times, but he also noted that the constant criticism on social media amplified the umpire's mistakes.

"It was magnified by the ubiquity of baseball on social media now," Passan said. "And how every time he would do something wrong, it would get put out there. And then it would almost just compound upon itself. … You just had this echo chamber of Ángel Hernández awfulness that, I think, in the end, wound up being part of his undoing."

In his retirement announcement, Hernández stated that he wants to spend more time with his family. He also expressed his pride in being part of the expansion and promotion of minorities in baseball.

However, Hernández's departure is also clouded by a history of allegations of racial discrimination. In 2017, he filed a lawsuit against MLB, claiming that he had been denied opportunities due to his race. Hernández lost the lawsuit in 2021.

Despite the controversies, Hernández's retirement marks the end of an era in baseball umpiring. He will be remembered as one of the most polarizing and scrut