Longtime umpire Ángel Hernández, who had previously filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball for racial discrimination, has announced his immediate retirement.
During the previous summer, Hernández faced defeat for the second time in his racial discrimination lawsuit against MLB. His case was not reinstated by a federal appeals court, namely the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which upheld the 2021 District Court decision granting MLB a summary judgment.
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In 2017, Hernández filed a lawsuit claiming that he had experienced discrimination. He asserted that he had not been assigned to the World Series since 2005 and had been overlooked for the position of crew chief. From 2011 to 2016, he had served as an interim crew chief.
The 2nd Circuit stated in an 11-page decision that Hernández has not been able to prove a significant difference in the promotion rates between white and minority umpires. MLB has presented compelling expert evidence to show that, during the relevant years, there was no statistically significant disparity in the promotion rates for crew chiefs between white and minority umpires. Hernández has not provided any explanation as to why MLB’s statistical evidence should be considered unreliable.
During the 2018 AL Division Series, Yankees ace CC Sabathia strongly criticized Hernández. Sabathia expressed his frustration after seeing three of Hernández’s calls at first base overturned via replay in just four innings. Sabathia went as far as calling the umpire “absolutely terrible” and raised concerns about why Hernández would be assigned to work postseason games.
Sabathia shared his response to the retirement news on Monday night by posting a Looney Toons clip on X. The clip featured Porky Pig saying, “That’s all folks.”
Hernández suffered a back injury last season and was unable to play until July 31. He has only been behind the plate eight times this year, with his last game taking place on May 9 between the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox.
Angel Hernández, who was born in Cuba, began his career as a major league umpire back in 1993. Throughout his tenure, he had the privilege of officiating in two World Series (in 2002 and 2005), as well as three All-Star Games (in 1999, 2009, and 2017). Additionally, he was assigned to eight League Championship Series, with his most recent assignment taking place in 2016.
During Game 3 of the 2018 AL Division Series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, Hernández encountered a challenging situation as three of his calls at first base were overturned after undergoing video replay reviews.
