MLB umpire Ángel Hernández retiring after 3 decades - ESPN

MLB umpire Ángel Hernández is retiring effective immediately, ending a controversial three-decade-long career that in recent years turned Hernández into a constant source of consternation with players and a social media punching bag among fans.

The 62-year-old Hernández, who in a statement confirmed earlier reports he would be retiring, reached a settlement to leave Major League Baseball, according to a source, and will leave after umpiring thousands of games since his debut in 1991.

Hernández, who worked his last game May 9 and was replaced on Lance Barksdale's crew by Jacob Metz, sued MLB in 2017, alleging the league had engaged in racial discrimination. The lawsuit was thrown out by a district court judge, a decision upheld by an appeals court last year.

With a penchant for bad calls — during a 2018 playoff game, he had three calls reversed by replay in the first four innings — Hernández received a disproportionate amount of odium from fans. The lawsuit only added to the animus Hernández generated, and the groundswell grew to the point that Hernández retired after missing much of the 2023 season with a back injury.

Hernandez is well-liked among umpires, who have borne the brunt of more criticism in recent years and rallied around him as a person. His on-field work, however, left enough to be desired that Hernández became a constant trending topic on social media platforms and among the most maligned figures in the game.

Just this season, Hernández called three strikes on pitches well off the plate from Houston's J.P. France to Texas' Wyatt Langford. Last season, Philadelphia designated hitter Kyle Schwarber was ejected by Hernández after he slammed his bat following a called strike three on a Josh Hader fastball that