I was born in Sep. 1991, I am 32 years old now. I have not know a world without Angel Hernandez officiating in the league. I am leaving a better world for my children.
Umpires were always "bad"...I am sure if we went back to the 80s and 90s games and added that box to games that Maddux, Glavine and a few of the other "nibblers" of the time and graded it most would be in the 50 and 60% range. Umps in the AL had one strike zone and NL because of their chest protectors at the time...having said that Angel is the worst lol, but umps always had a "feel"
Cubs winning the World Series, my Wedding, and my daughters births top 3 as well (in that order) Angel is definitely number 4 as well. I think he has something on Selig and Manfred and now that Manfred is retiring, he will be fired and more than likely lose his pension so he's "retiring" so he will not lose that.
Fourth on your list is a guy who doesn’t really matter. Number 4 isn’t your kid’s actual first steps? Hmm. Interesting. I’m kidding. You’ve only revealed the truth about AH and your love of baseball. I’m glad Angel is gone. His tenure as an umpire was painful and, at times, infuriating. I’m with you, brother.
If any player, manager, or coach was as bad as their job as Hernandez they would have been fired years ago. MLB and the Umpires Union both failed in their primary responsibility that being to protect the integrity of the game.
@@brianomoli4 No, they ensure due process. Ball-less bosses protect shitty workers by not having the stomach to go through that due process. Blaming unions for bad workers is like blaming public defenders when criminals go free, not the inept prosecutors.
@@mc76lol. you just stated the problem with the process. if you are bad at your job, you should be fired. there doesn't need to be "due process". it's not a court of law. and your legal analogy is laughable. 1:you are comparing "bosses" who don't follow thru with it to prosecutors that do. that's a false equivalency. not pursuing it, and pursuing it and losing, are 2 entirely different things. 2. if a guilty person gets to go free, does it really matter who was better? prosecution or defense? It is still NOT justice. Also, some unions have become so large that they have more power than the employers. If you try enough times to get rid of problem workers, only to see them keep their jobs, then yeah, you probably quit trying. the idea that there aren't bad workers who companies have tried to get rid of, but can't, is a joke. every company with union labor has them, and everyone knows who they are.
@@kitfisto1827 Yes but all of the competent union workers who are still there make 15% more than they would without the union there. That's like the difference between getting college tutoring for your kid or not, it's a life changing difference in compensation. Every decision is a tradeoff between one set of problems and a different set. What is "laughable" is thinking that it's better for the good workers to punish the bad workers than it is to be paid correctly.
Actually Pitch Com is one of the best things to happen. And can't wait for the ABS. Tennis and other sports have used electronics for decades. Baseball trying to be "traditional and pure" deserved everything it had comming to it being so slow.
They already have the technology to do it and I think most fans would support it. Id imagine there is a lot of pushback from the umpire's union and older mlb execs who dont want change
Funny moment from tonight's Cubs-Brewers game, courtesy of Marquee Network: Jim DeShais: "Angel Hernandez retired. I am not sure why I mentioned that." Boog Sciambi: "Maybe because that last strike was outside the zone."😆
The most disgusting thing about about him was playing the race card rather than coming to grips with his own incompetence. And his career is the perfect example of why I take issues with unions. Yes, they protect vulnerable people, but they also enable incompetent ones.
Angel's Little Bighorn moment. Like Custer, he put the uniform on one too many times. I breathe a sigh of relief for Baseball. All we can say now is "Play Ball". Great show Rich.
At work I joke about the vacation test. When you go on vacation do your co-workers notice your absence and look forward to your return? If so, you're a valuable employee. If they don't notice, that's not good, and it's even worse if they notice how much better things are without you. I think I can add the "end of employment" test. If you retire or are let go, how do people react? You want them to think "You're leaving? How will we make do without you?" Angel has failed the test in the worst way possible. He's retiring and everyone is taking the time out of their busy day to crap all over him on the way out. The only way this would have been worse is if he had died first and we all crapped on him then.
Giants fan here. Back in ‘93, a SF batter hits a routine sac fly ball to left field late in the game. Ball is caught, runner tags from 3rd, and scores go ahead run. LA appeals and Angel Hernandez calls runner out when replay clearly shows the runner leaving after ball was caught. Rookie manager Dusty Baker argues and gets thrown out. Dodgers ended up winning that game in extras and I NEVER forgave Hernandez after that. To see that he’s lasted this long as an MLB umpire with consistent incompetence is so beyond me.
Angel was the first Cuban-American umpire in MLB, and one of the first Latinos of any sort in the job. His hiring was promoted as a big step for MLB diversifying the umpiring ranks. CB Bucknor was hired around the same time, with similar reasoning, as one of few African-American umpires. It's a damn shame the both of them turned out to be poor performing umps with bad on-field attitudes. Fortunately, there have been many other minority umps hired by MLB since then, and most of them are pretty good at the job. Angel *was* a trailblazer, but not in a good way.
Cuban-Americans are not diversity hires. Most of them are Trump supporting right wingers whose grandparents or parents left the island when Bautista was deposed in favor of Castro.
Sports betting rose way before angel Hernandez even existed. It has nothing to do with him leaving. You think shohei otana didn’t bet on baseball? You’re very ignorant.
@@openmike4559most states until recently outlawed sports books. Now its legal in most states. That the difference. That’s why you see betting apps now.
@@T-Wrecks559 he wasnt the worst statistically. It was his attitude, and the obvious blunders of calls that made him the "worst." As long as he kept his overall stats at a certain level, the union was legaly bound to protect him. Other situations for letting go of umpires are worked out during collective bargaining.
There is nothing that saddens me more that my godfather passed too soon to witness this day. I genuinely hope his family understands he has earned every bit of disdain the baseball community harbors for him. Absolute bum.
Three umpires have indelibly left their marks on my baseball psyche. The fact I know their names should reveal the trauma they inflicted upon me throughout their careers. Eric Gregg (God rest his soul) was a man with as elastic a strike zone as Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four. For as unreliable as he was, though, he wasn't an a-hole. "Country Joe" West, however, was an a-hole. A _huge_ one. Actually, he wasn't an a-hole; he was the whole A. His final day in the MLB reminds me of the day I got my divorce judgment in the mail from the California Family Court. I thought to myself, "It's finally over. I survived it. I never have to go through that again." Cue my ex-fiancée and Angel Hernandez. Simply calling them "worse" leaves so much unsaid. These two individuals did what I thought was impossible: They both made me look back at my ex-wife and Country Joe and say--out loud--"You know something? They weren't that bad." The ex-fiancee has been gone for 13 years this month; Angel is now a traumatic memory. To the both of them, "Good riddance to bad rubbish." I am finally free.
Reports are that Angel Hernandez's retirement came out from a meeting with top MLB officials. Officials were questioning Hernandez's ability to see and comprehend correctly. Angel got so worked up that he stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind himself. It took Angel 10 minutes to realize he was in the closet. His announcement of retirement came soon after.
The MLB hired the first blind umpire in history. I want to let the MLB know how much I appreciate the fact that they hire the handicapped. Very stunning and brave.
After attending my local mlb baseball team earlier this year, the organization, through mlb, emailed me a questionnaire. When they asked: "What would enhance your experience as an mlb fan", my response was; "Get rid of Angel Hernandez". Who says dreams don't come true?
Baseball Doesn't Exist actually did an episode on Angel and the actual tracking of his ump stats found him ranked above at least 1/3rd of the other umpires in the NL. In other words, while he wasn't the best, he was definitely not the worst either. He just managed to be the one guy that caught attention and people loved to pile on. That said, he deserves a happy, quiet retirement.
All I’ll say is that while the stats support the fact that there are several umpires that are less accurate than Angel Hernandez, his mistakes stick in your mind because they’re egregiously bad, and they have often felt like they come in high leverage situations. Blowing a call in the top of the 4th or missing a few throughout the game is kind of expected, but Angel always seemed to find a way to blow a call in the ninth or in run scoring situations that changed the outcome of the game.
It was the quality of his errors, not the quantity that made him notoriously bad. And on top of that accusing the MLB of racism for not choosing him to umpire in the World Series due to those severe errors.
Rich, you're by far one of the best sports commentators around. I love how you put it out there and say what needs to be said. You're the man! Go Blue!
One of my favorite things to do is to sit back and watch a game on TV, but over the last 10-12 years I would just change the channel whenever Ángel Hernández was behind the plate. I can handle the occasional missed call from an umpire, but the constant string of missed calls was just so frustrating to watch. I am glad that he’s no longer umpiring in MLB.
The question that should be being asked now is, how did he and West and those like them, ever get into such an exclusive club as major league umpires? It should be the creme de la creme. There is no way that there could not have been hundreds of better candidates any one of which should have been there instead.
MLB was too generous in allowing Angel Hernandez to retire instead of firing him. Same goes with Joe West. Now baseball still has to contend with Laz Diaz and C.B. Bucknor.
@@jimwerther They say the same about Angel Hernandez. Off the baseball field he's a wonderful man who his peers like, but it's about being a competent umpire.
Believe it or not Angel Hernandez statistically speaking isnt even close to one of the worst ups. Scary to find that out but out of millions of balls he actually ranks in the upper echelon his entire career. Even after the strike when mlb canned 30+ umps they kept him. The reason he is looked at as so bad is because he had some things draw a ton of attention to him and so every single call he made became scrutinized and gone over with a fine tooth comb and the lawsuit only amplified things for him. But if you watch a video done by the show on TH-cam called " Baseball Doesn't Exist" he does a half hour going through his entire career and its kind of shocking how above average he is. "The Most Hated Umpire Isn't Actually Bad" is the name of the video. There are some way worse out there but they some how dont draw enough attention onto themselves
Yankees are looking great, John Sterling retired, now Angel retires. This is shaping up to be one of best seasons ever and it’s only 1/3 of the way through!
Angel's nephew was my neighbor for 7 years and he said that he didn't like several players that's why we would make those calls. He started writing his memoirs about his umpire experience.
This might be the best call that Angel Hernandez has ever made in his life. He was terrible at his job, he always made every game he called behind home plate The Angel Hernandez Show, and whenever he screwed up a call which was so often that it made you feel that he did it on purpose just so he could eject someone for complaining. He never took accountability or blame for any of it he was a clown and unquestionably the worst umpire that I have ever seen and I am overjoyed that he has retired.
Joe Brinkman was another umpire who couldn't retire too soon. Unfortunately, the entire country witnessed the enormousness of his ineptitude during the 1995 Word Series.
@@jimwerther When the video clearly shows pitches that are at least six inches off the plate and still are called strikes, it's clear that the man had ZERO concept of what the strike zone is. The technology for computerized calling of balls and strikes has been around for well over thirty years. It's high time that MLB incorporates the technology - despite the union's objections.
The best thing about the Schwarber incident is that it wasn't just about his at bat. Schwarber was speaking for everyone, including sticking up for the other team. He points at both dugouts and makes that arm moting that to me said EVERYONE is fed up with your bullshit.
I think it’s worth pointing out that this is likely one the most successful grassroots movement in recent sports history. People like Rich, Umpire Auditor, Jomboy, and others created a ton of pressure on this situation that wasn’t ignorable due to social media pressure. It can’t be proven, but there is a fair amount of circumstantial evidence that Angel was forced to retire behind closed doors to protect the future of other human umpires. A lot of people drew a ton of attention to a subject that is typically buried by the leagues and network media to protect the product. It’s not the most important thing going on in the world right now, but it’s good to see accountability on something that was running baseball for a lot of people.
Yes. I don't even watch baseball games... But I do watch eisen talk show and jomboy popped in my TH-cam feed....I was aware and angered by hernandez. When people who don't follow the sport are aware of how bad an ump is, that is quite an accomplishment.
I'm a firm believer in the words of Teddy Roosevelt, and the Man in the Arena. That those who have never done the job and never will but refuse to be positive or empathetic at any juncture don't contribute anything other than animosity and promote harsh feelings. I believe in all of that, and I myself have never been and never will be an MLB umpire. It's undoubtedly an incredibly difficult job, and one where people are, essentially, demanding perfection and you have to make tough calls that you will never receive full approval of. I get all of that... But I think Rich hit the nail on the head that you have to have some form of humility when you are widely considered one of the worst in the sport, and instead at times making things "all about him". I no doubt think Angel likely didn't find much enjoyment in his job given that he has basically been vilified, unless he found enjoyment in shoving things in people's face because he could. But despite all that, the job does require a level of professionalism that is above what is typically required from a usual job. It's just part of the territory, right or wrong, and I don't think he lived up to that, in my personal opinion. While I wish him all the best, I think the game, and the jobs of umpires across the league, will benefit from his departure. This news was a surprise to me... But maybe this is a result of the "accountability" people have been calling for. Personally, I hope for his sake this is his decision and his alone... But hey, now we can move on, and hopefully the game is better for it.
Angel didnt throw out the Take Me Out To The Ballgame guy, the first base umpire did. Source: watch the Baseball Doesn't Exist episode on Angel Hernandez.
I've been watching quite a few videos concerning Angel's retirement. The raw numbers show he was not the worst in the league from a stat angle. His problem was his ego, his refusal to allow that he made a mistake, and his refusal to do anything to get better. I worked right around 3,000 games as an amateur sports official in 4 sports. I always had good judgement as it relates to ball\strike or safe\out. What I also had was a big ego and a God complex. What I said was the law. I once ejected 3 players in less than 30 seconds which resulted in a forfeit because they did not have enough players left to field a team. I never kept a tally, but I probably ejected at least a hundred coaches or players in my first 1,000 games. In my last 1,000 games I ejected a handful of people and nearly all of them were for rules violations that forced me to toss them. It took me that middle third of games to learn that my ego had no place on the field and that the game was not about me. In 33 years Angel never learned that lesson.
I think it was mainly the lack of consistency that drove the players nuts at home plate and then all the terrible calls at 1st and 3rd base. There are actually worse umpires in MLB almost every year in terms of accuracy of calls, however those umpires tend to be consistently wrong on their strike zones which is better because everyone can adjust. Angel's strike zone was unbelievably inconsistent from pitch to pitch.
3:50 Not defending Angel Hernandez by any means, but there is one correction that needs to be made. Angel Hernandez did not kick Steve McMichael out, it was Randy Marsh.
I feel terrible for Angel. All this vitriol, all this condemnation for a guy who was just doing his job. How do you think Angel will feel when he sees all of this? Oh, who am I kidding, Angel couldn't see this if it was on a billboard outside his living room window. My only regret of this day is that Buchnor, Diaz, Wendlestadt, and Eddings didn't join him.
I have to make a correction on Hernandez throwing out Steve McMichael. It was actually another ump that threw out Steven not Hernandez. Angel didn't throw him out of the game. Umps are known to protect their own in situations like that.
This is why people have problems with unions. They protect members, not because it's right, but because they are paying members. Don't give a damn about quality of the product, just the negotiating power of the union.
Heard his retirement papers aren't official yet, he signed them, but his signature is about 6 and a half inches outside of the "Sign Here" box
Nice!
That was a mike drop! Well played.
*feet
Underrated comment
Top 10 comment of the year😅😅😅
I was born in Sep. 1991, I am 32 years old now. I have not know a world without Angel Hernandez officiating in the league.
I am leaving a better world for my children.
😅😅😅😅😅
Umpires were always "bad"...I am sure if we went back to the 80s and 90s games and added that box to games that Maddux, Glavine and a few of the other "nibblers" of the time and graded it most would be in the 50 and 60% range. Umps in the AL had one strike zone and NL because of their chest protectors at the time...having said that Angel is the worst lol, but umps always had a "feel"
Happy to hear in your 32 years you’ve prioritized what’s important in your life…strike 3 you’re out ⚾️
@AlexanderWinterborn The one you just walked up to the plate with and had a big swing and a miss on slugger.
Its cute you think there is less affirmative action in 2024 than in 1991. They will hire a worse version to replace Angel.
It's not just incompetence, but arrogant incompetence.
This. Right here.
A human umpire calling MLB balls and strikes in 2024 is incompetence.
He should run for office.
Ding ding ding
@@DreamReleases ... Might as well replace everyone with robots. Umps, players, coaches....
My son's birth, my wedding day, the Cubs winning the World Series. Top 3 moments of my life so far. Angel Hernandez retiring is probably number 4.
🏆
Cubs winning the World Series, my Wedding, and my daughters births top 3 as well (in that order) Angel is definitely number 4 as well. I think he has something on Selig and Manfred and now that Manfred is retiring, he will be fired and more than likely lose his pension so he's "retiring" so he will not lose that.
Fourth on your list is a guy who doesn’t really matter. Number 4 isn’t your kid’s actual first steps? Hmm. Interesting.
I’m kidding. You’ve only revealed the truth about AH and your love of baseball. I’m glad Angel is gone. His tenure as an umpire was painful and, at times, infuriating. I’m with you, brother.
I got the 08 WS, SB52, Bedlam at the Bank, and this as my list. So, 4th checks out.
Anyone can get married and have a son…Angel retiring is a once in a lifetime experience
He’s not gone. He lives in our hearts. Like heart disease.
Him announcing his retirement is the best call of his life.😂
It's the only one he ever got right.
@@davidd5407wrong but funny 😂😂
The fact that ESPN had breaking news that an ump retires should tell you something
They probably did the same for West
If any player, manager, or coach was as bad as their job as Hernandez they would have been fired years ago. MLB and the Umpires Union both failed in their primary responsibility that being to protect the integrity of the game.
Umpires Union are there to protect the employment of their members, no more no less.
That’s what unions do, protect shitty workers.
@@brianomoli4 No, they ensure due process. Ball-less bosses protect shitty workers by not having the stomach to go through that due process. Blaming unions for bad workers is like blaming public defenders when criminals go free, not the inept prosecutors.
@@mc76lol. you just stated the problem with the process. if you are bad at your job, you should be fired. there doesn't need to be "due process". it's not a court of law.
and your legal analogy is laughable.
1:you are comparing "bosses" who don't follow thru with it to prosecutors that do. that's a false equivalency. not pursuing it, and pursuing it and losing, are 2 entirely different things.
2. if a guilty person gets to go free, does it really matter who was better? prosecution or defense? It is still NOT justice.
Also, some unions have become so large that they have more power than the employers. If you try enough times to get rid of problem workers, only to see them keep their jobs, then yeah, you probably quit trying.
the idea that there aren't bad workers who companies have tried to get rid of, but can't, is a joke. every company with union labor has them, and everyone knows who they are.
@@kitfisto1827 Yes but all of the competent union workers who are still there make 15% more than they would without the union there. That's like the difference between getting college tutoring for your kid or not, it's a life changing difference in compensation.
Every decision is a tradeoff between one set of problems and a different set. What is "laughable" is thinking that it's better for the good workers to punish the bad workers than it is to be paid correctly.
I'll say one good thing about Angel Hernandez: He was so bad at his job you could never suspect he was on the take.
Honestly, I think he did everything but call his benefactors on camera to ask what call they wanted him to make.
Unless he’s playing the innings line.
That was his brilliance. Dude is loaded now.
Yes, equally bad to all teams.
This is one of the best things to happen to baseball since the retractable roof
Finally...A retractable umpire.
Actually Pitch Com is one of the best things to happen. And can't wait for the ABS. Tennis and other sports have used electronics for decades. Baseball trying to be "traditional and pure" deserved everything it had comming to it being so slow.
@@DreamReleases Baseball gave up "traditional and pure" when they cancelled the WS over a strike.
I'll go with the demolition of the concrete doughnuts from the 70s: The Vet, Three Rivers, Riverfront, old Busch - all complete trash.
Rich should do a top 10 all time worst Angel Hernandez calls.
Why not top 100 or 200 or well you know where i'm going with it.
Top ten or top 50
Hernandez made Frank Drebin look like a world-class umpire
surely you can't be serious
@@Techguyericd stop calling him shirley
You mean Enrico Palazzo??
@Candeman_5000 damn you beat me to it
@@Techguyericd I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley. ✈️
MLB needs to actively scout and recruit umps. We need more Pat Hoberg's. 98% accuracy against marked zone. 2022 Pat was 100% in the WS.
There are many good umpires in MLB they by far outweigh the bad ones
They won't. Embracing DEI means it will get worse.
As a Red Sox fan, I would like to say thank you for finally retiring... The worst ump MLB has ever seen!
Him and Jerry West need their own Hall of Shame room at Cooperstown
Joe West would give him a run for his money.
@@patrickq7489 They are 1, 1A when it comes to worst Umps!
Statistically, that's not even true in the last 5 years.
CB Bucknor is getting ready to challenge for the title.
This guy made me want all the umpires replaced for protecting him. It is the time for the Robots to take over. Get rid of all of them.
Robots built by draftkings?
They already have the technology to do it and I think most fans would support it. Id imagine there is a lot of pushback from the umpire's union and older mlb execs who dont want change
Angel Hernandez has almost single-handedly pushed the league towards robo-umps.
If I didn’t see the title, I would still know exactly who Rich was talking about before saying the name. That’s how bad Angel was
Funny moment from tonight's Cubs-Brewers game, courtesy of Marquee Network:
Jim DeShais: "Angel Hernandez retired. I am not sure why I mentioned that."
Boog Sciambi: "Maybe because that last strike was outside the zone."😆
I hate boog but that line was hilarious
Amazingly, Angel was worse than Joe West. An astounding accomplishment that will not be matched in our lifetime
Statistically, West was worse. Angel was usually around the 25th percentile.
The most disgusting thing about about him was playing the race card rather than coming to grips with his own incompetence.
And his career is the perfect example of why I take issues with unions. Yes, they protect vulnerable people, but they also enable incompetent ones.
Blame MLB for backing down. In the end a union can't defend incompetent performance forever
The race card thing was just him playing into the times. When he said that it was right when everything was racist.
Angel's Little Bighorn moment. Like Custer, he put the uniform on one too many times. I breathe a sigh of relief for Baseball. All we can say now is "Play Ball". Great show Rich.
Once retired, can he speak publicly. I'd like to know how long he's been blind.
Since he started umpiring. Except when he started he was bald like a serial killer
At work I joke about the vacation test. When you go on vacation do your co-workers notice your absence and look forward to your return? If so, you're a valuable employee. If they don't notice, that's not good, and it's even worse if they notice how much better things are without you. I think I can add the "end of employment" test. If you retire or are let go, how do people react? You want them to think "You're leaving? How will we make do without you?" Angel has failed the test in the worst way possible. He's retiring and everyone is taking the time out of their busy day to crap all over him on the way out. The only way this would have been worse is if he had died first and we all crapped on him then.
His legacy is that he will singlehandedly be the driving force for electronic umpiring in the near future.
Giants fan here. Back in ‘93, a SF batter hits a routine sac fly ball to left field late in the game. Ball is caught, runner tags from 3rd, and scores go ahead run. LA appeals and Angel Hernandez calls runner out when replay clearly shows the runner leaving after ball was caught. Rookie manager Dusty Baker argues and gets thrown out. Dodgers ended up winning that game in extras and I NEVER forgave Hernandez after that. To see that he’s lasted this long as an MLB umpire with consistent incompetence is so beyond me.
There were no appeals back then.
Angel was the first Cuban-American umpire in MLB, and one of the first Latinos of any sort in the job. His hiring was promoted as a big step for MLB diversifying the umpiring ranks. CB Bucknor was hired around the same time, with similar reasoning, as one of few African-American umpires. It's a damn shame the both of them turned out to be poor performing umps with bad on-field attitudes. Fortunately, there have been many other minority umps hired by MLB since then, and most of them are pretty good at the job. Angel *was* a trailblazer, but not in a good way.
Cuban-Americans are not diversity hires. Most of them are Trump supporting right wingers whose grandparents or parents left the island when Bautista was deposed in favor of Castro.
Bucknor is Jamaican, not African American. 😎
diversity is division.
He literally reminds me of Leslie Nielson from Naked Gun as the ump. Just calling it a strike in order to get attention.
Joe West was part of Frank Drebbin's umpiring crew.
I’m sure Harper is celebrating as we speak
Schwarber too.
All MLB players are
With the rise of sports betting, the MLB had to get rid of him.
Sports betting rose way before angel Hernandez even existed. It has nothing to do with him leaving. You think shohei otana didn’t bet on baseball? You’re very ignorant.
@@openmike4559most states until recently outlawed sports books. Now its legal in most states. That the difference. That’s why you see betting apps now.
@@openmike4559 you mean naive.
@@openmike4559 you went all the way there, huh. All dude said was it's not good business to have this guy around.
This could be the pressure that finally did it
Major League Baseball will be a better game without Angel Hernandez
@@kr2934agreed
This would’ve happened earlier if the umpire union weren’t protecting him
That's the union's job.
That's the point of the union.
Id argue that a good union should absolutely get rid of terrible employees to protect said union. @LdyVder
Protecting incompetent members is the main reason people hate unions.
@@T-Wrecks559 he wasnt the worst statistically. It was his attitude, and the obvious blunders of calls that made him the "worst." As long as he kept his overall stats at a certain level, the union was legaly bound to protect him. Other situations for letting go of umpires are worked out during collective bargaining.
There is nothing that saddens me more that my godfather passed too soon to witness this day. I genuinely hope his family understands he has earned every bit of disdain the baseball community harbors for him. Absolute bum.
You should do a Angel Hernandez top ten hits
You mean top ten misses?
When he called Angel a barnacle, i lost it. 😂😂😂😂😂
He’s not even a bottom ranked ump he just knows the exact right time to make it about him.
I’ve been waiting all day to see what rich had to say about this!
Me too.
There isn’t a single baseball fan upset about this whatsoever.
I'm just upset i won't be able to boo him one last time 🤬
Three umpires have indelibly left their marks on my baseball psyche. The fact I know their names should reveal the trauma they inflicted upon me throughout their careers. Eric Gregg (God rest his soul) was a man with as elastic a strike zone as Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four. For as unreliable as he was, though, he wasn't an a-hole. "Country Joe" West, however, was an a-hole. A _huge_ one. Actually, he wasn't an a-hole; he was the whole A. His final day in the MLB reminds me of the day I got my divorce judgment in the mail from the California Family Court. I thought to myself, "It's finally over. I survived it. I never have to go through that again." Cue my ex-fiancée and Angel Hernandez. Simply calling them "worse" leaves so much unsaid. These two individuals did what I thought was impossible: They both made me look back at my ex-wife and Country Joe and say--out loud--"You know something? They weren't that bad." The ex-fiancee has been gone for 13 years this month; Angel is now a traumatic memory. To the both of them, "Good riddance to bad rubbish." I am finally free.
MLB should be applauded, they hired a blind umpire
Reports are that Angel Hernandez's retirement came out from a meeting with top MLB officials. Officials were questioning Hernandez's ability to see and comprehend correctly. Angel got so worked up that he stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind himself. It took Angel 10 minutes to realize he was in the closet.
His announcement of retirement came soon after.
😂😂😂😂😂
Glad to see Rich's fav ump go out on a high note 😂😂
He retired along time ago while still being an umpire. MLB let him continue
Went to a game recently in Tampa, and was disappointed that AH wasn't on the crew. We wanted to start an "Angel sucks" chant sooo bad!
HERNANDEZ FINALLY MAKES A GOOD CALL
Much like Angel, didn't see that coming.
Wow, Rich...don't hold back, man. Tell us how you REALLY feel! Seriously, you said what we've all been shouting at the TV for ages.
Eagerly awaiting the Jomboy supercut of "Angel Hernandez's Worst Calls"
The MLB hired the first blind umpire in history. I want to let the MLB know how much I appreciate the fact that they hire the handicapped. Very stunning and brave.
Angel Hernandez is probably a majority stockholder in the ABS company MLB uses, calling terrible games to speed up acceptance.
After attending my local mlb baseball team earlier this year, the organization, through mlb, emailed me a questionnaire. When they asked: "What would enhance your experience as an mlb fan", my response was; "Get rid of Angel Hernandez". Who says dreams don't come true?
Been waiting for this since reading this news around 2am EDT.
The inevitable 30 for 30 about Angel is gonna be FASCINATING.
Baseball Doesn't Exist actually did an episode on Angel and the actual tracking of his ump stats found him ranked above at least 1/3rd of the other umpires in the NL. In other words, while he wasn't the best, he was definitely not the worst either. He just managed to be the one guy that caught attention and people loved to pile on.
That said, he deserves a happy, quiet retirement.
Yep, the "Angel Hernandez is the WORST ump ever" stuff is way overblown.
All I’ll say is that while the stats support the fact that there are several umpires that are less accurate than Angel Hernandez, his mistakes stick in your mind because they’re egregiously bad, and they have often felt like they come in high leverage situations.
Blowing a call in the top of the 4th or missing a few throughout the game is kind of expected, but Angel always seemed to find a way to blow a call in the ninth or in run scoring situations that changed the outcome of the game.
That episode is a lie.
It was the quality of his errors, not the quantity that made him notoriously bad. And on top of that accusing the MLB of racism for not choosing him to umpire in the World Series due to those severe errors.
Rich, you're by far one of the best sports commentators around. I love how you put it out there and say what needs to be said. You're the man! Go Blue!
Angel did not kick out mongo, it was the 1st base umpire that did :P
I see you too are a man of culture and watch Baseball Doesn’t Exist 😂
Yup, Randy Marsh.
McMichael absolutely earned that ejection with his boorish, childish display.
One of my favorite things to do is to sit back and watch a game on TV, but over the last 10-12 years I would just change the channel whenever Ángel Hernández was behind the plate. I can handle the occasional missed call from an umpire, but the constant string of missed calls was just so frustrating to watch. I am glad that he’s no longer umpiring in MLB.
The question that should be being asked now is, how did he and West and those like them, ever get into such an exclusive club as major league umpires? It should be the creme de la creme. There is no way that there could not have been hundreds of better candidates any one of which should have been there instead.
But they were
It started to get worse when MLB fired umps and took many back, including the worst ones, West & Hernandez being tops.
MLB was too generous in allowing Angel Hernandez to retire instead of firing him. Same goes with Joe West. Now baseball still has to contend with Laz Diaz and C.B. Bucknor.
The union is still strong. Wait till the balls and strikes are called by a computer.
Can not wait
Laz Diaz & CB Buckner-- "Hold my beer!"
* Bucknor
As to Laz, everyone loves him personally. He's a wonderful man.
@@jimwerther They say the same about Angel Hernandez. Off the baseball field he's a wonderful man who his peers like, but it's about being a competent umpire.
@@jaybird8192
Players and managers despised Angel. Everyone loves Laz.
Hernandez was the worst thing in the MLB. This is decades too late.
Rich, this will go down as one of my favorite segments of yours.
MLB: Yo, hernandez
Angel: yes
MLB: retire or you're fired
Angel: it was a good run eh
MLB: why are you still here?
Believe it or not Angel Hernandez statistically speaking isnt even close to one of the worst ups. Scary to find that out but out of millions of balls he actually ranks in the upper echelon his entire career. Even after the strike when mlb canned 30+ umps they kept him. The reason he is looked at as so bad is because he had some things draw a ton of attention to him and so every single call he made became scrutinized and gone over with a fine tooth comb and the lawsuit only amplified things for him. But if you watch a video done by the show on TH-cam called " Baseball Doesn't Exist" he does a half hour going through his entire career and its kind of shocking how above average he is. "The Most Hated Umpire Isn't Actually Bad" is the name of the video. There are some way worse out there but they some how dont draw enough attention onto themselves
Yankees are looking great, John Sterling retired, now Angel retires. This is shaping up to be one of best seasons ever and it’s only 1/3 of the way through!
things are looking up😂
Angel's nephew was my neighbor for 7 years and he said that he didn't like several players that's why we would make those calls. He started writing his memoirs about his umpire experience.
Will you ask your uncle that works at nintendo when the switch 2 comes out? And, maybe ask the other uncle that works at Valve when HL3 comes out?
@@Clearmedium keep playing the switch 2, I'll play with your girlfriend.
@@brownwolf152 Hey my right hand is for me and me alone.
The giant eye test had me rolling
This might be the best call that Angel Hernandez has ever made in his life. He was terrible at his job, he always made every game he called behind home plate The Angel Hernandez Show, and whenever he screwed up a call which was so often that it made you feel that he did it on purpose just so he could eject someone for complaining. He never took accountability or blame for any of it he was a clown and unquestionably the worst umpire that I have ever seen and I am overjoyed that he has retired.
Joe Brinkman was another umpire who couldn't retire too soon. Unfortunately, the entire country witnessed the enormousness of his ineptitude during the 1995 Word Series.
Sorry, you're a bitter Cleveland fan. No one elae has a problem with Brinkman, who actually ran an umpiring school.
@@jimwerther When the video clearly shows pitches that are at least six inches off the plate and still are called strikes, it's clear that the man had ZERO concept of what the strike zone is. The technology for computerized calling of balls and strikes has been around for well over thirty years. It's high time that MLB incorporates the technology - despite the union's objections.
The best thing about the Schwarber incident is that it wasn't just about his at bat. Schwarber was speaking for everyone, including sticking up for the other team. He points at both dugouts and makes that arm moting that to me said EVERYONE is fed up with your bullshit.
Just imagine being horrible at your job for 30 years, embarrassing MLB.
I think it’s worth pointing out that this is likely one the most successful grassroots movement in recent sports history. People like Rich, Umpire Auditor, Jomboy, and others created a ton of pressure on this situation that wasn’t ignorable due to social media pressure. It can’t be proven, but there is a fair amount of circumstantial evidence that Angel was forced to retire behind closed doors to protect the future of other human umpires.
A lot of people drew a ton of attention to a subject that is typically buried by the leagues and network media to protect the product. It’s not the most important thing going on in the world right now, but it’s good to see accountability on something that was running baseball for a lot of people.
Yes. I don't even watch baseball games... But I do watch eisen talk show and jomboy popped in my TH-cam feed....I was aware and angered by hernandez.
When people who don't follow the sport are aware of how bad an ump is, that is quite an accomplishment.
Correction Rich Eisen crew, Angel did not kick out Steve McMicheal, another ump did.
Yup. Randy Marsh.
3:56 actually Angel did not kick him out, the first base umpire did!
Lol, people across sports are celebrating this. I was surprised to find a post on the Bears Subreddit. CB Bucknor should be next!!!
The bobblehead idea is next level genius!!
The only bad part of this news is that my dream of Hernandez getting absolutely trucked by some disgruntled player about to retire.
The fact he kept a job is a testament to the strength of the unions and the strongest case to dissolve them!
I'm a firm believer in the words of Teddy Roosevelt, and the Man in the Arena. That those who have never done the job and never will but refuse to be positive or empathetic at any juncture don't contribute anything other than animosity and promote harsh feelings. I believe in all of that, and I myself have never been and never will be an MLB umpire. It's undoubtedly an incredibly difficult job, and one where people are, essentially, demanding perfection and you have to make tough calls that you will never receive full approval of. I get all of that... But I think Rich hit the nail on the head that you have to have some form of humility when you are widely considered one of the worst in the sport, and instead at times making things "all about him". I no doubt think Angel likely didn't find much enjoyment in his job given that he has basically been vilified, unless he found enjoyment in shoving things in people's face because he could. But despite all that, the job does require a level of professionalism that is above what is typically required from a usual job. It's just part of the territory, right or wrong, and I don't think he lived up to that, in my personal opinion. While I wish him all the best, I think the game, and the jobs of umpires across the league, will benefit from his departure. This news was a surprise to me... But maybe this is a result of the "accountability" people have been calling for. Personally, I hope for his sake this is his decision and his alone... But hey, now we can move on, and hopefully the game is better for it.
Love to see him on the show... I think Eisen should extend an invite!!!
To quote America’s highly-respected poet laureate Nene Leakes: “Girl bye.”
I still don't understand why MLB would not have a system in place to remove umpires who perform below certain standards.
LMAOOOOO "FREE LASIK!!"
I literally laughed out loud in public
All the umps that are rated lower than Angel need to retire too.
MLB was probably like “look Angel, either we fire you or you ‘retire’. You want your pension?”
Hernandez is so notorious even non-baseball fans know who he is.
Angel didnt throw out the Take Me Out To The Ballgame guy, the first base umpire did.
Source: watch the Baseball Doesn't Exist episode on Angel Hernandez.
I had thought it was third base umpire, either way it wasn't Angel
Randy Marsh. And McMichael earned it.
Rich, you politely understated how bad it was. Nice of you.
Angel Hernandez was told to retire. This was a termination
They clearly pushed him out. But he was done anyway, as he missed almost all of '23 and '24 with back problems.
They had to pay him to leave. -.-
I've been watching quite a few videos concerning Angel's retirement. The raw numbers show he was not the worst in the league from a stat angle. His problem was his ego, his refusal to allow that he made a mistake, and his refusal to do anything to get better. I worked right around 3,000 games as an amateur sports official in 4 sports. I always had good judgement as it relates to ball\strike or safe\out. What I also had was a big ego and a God complex. What I said was the law. I once ejected 3 players in less than 30 seconds which resulted in a forfeit because they did not have enough players left to field a team. I never kept a tally, but I probably ejected at least a hundred coaches or players in my first 1,000 games. In my last 1,000 games I ejected a handful of people and nearly all of them were for rules violations that forced me to toss them. It took me that middle third of games to learn that my ego had no place on the field and that the game was not about me. In 33 years Angel never learned that lesson.
Angel was NOT the umpire that made the ejection of Mongo. The crew chief did
Correct. Randy Marsh.
Ok, but do you really wanna die on the hill defending this guy?
I think it was mainly the lack of consistency that drove the players nuts at home plate and then all the terrible calls at 1st and 3rd base. There are actually worse umpires in MLB almost every year in terms of accuracy of calls, however those umpires tend to be consistently wrong on their strike zones which is better because everyone can adjust. Angel's strike zone was unbelievably inconsistent from pitch to pitch.
It is good that Angel Hernandez is going. There are 20 more incompetent a-hole umpires that need to go with him
3:50 Not defending Angel Hernandez by any means, but there is one correction that needs to be made. Angel Hernandez did not kick Steve McMichael out, it was Randy Marsh.
No, it was Eric Cartman.
Best line I heard was when The Hawk was still doing games and Angel was making a call and fed up Hawk jut says "flip a coin Angel flip a coin!".
I like Angel bettwr than I like Hawk 🤮
Hawk Harrelson was the Angel Hernandez of announcers
I'm generally not in favor of overscrutinizing umps, ie having the strike zone box on the TV, but angel and joe were jeez 😅
I feel terrible for Angel. All this vitriol, all this condemnation for a guy who was just doing his job. How do you think Angel will feel when he sees all of this? Oh, who am I kidding, Angel couldn't see this if it was on a billboard outside his living room window. My only regret of this day is that Buchnor, Diaz, Wendlestadt, and Eddings didn't join him.
I have to make a correction on Hernandez throwing out Steve McMichael. It was actually another ump that threw out Steven not Hernandez. Angel didn't throw him out of the game. Umps are known to protect their own in situations like that.
This is why people have problems with unions. They protect members, not because it's right, but because they are paying members. Don't give a damn about quality of the product, just the negotiating power of the union.
The fact that I, a non baseball fan know his name (literally the only umpire name ive ever known) speaks volumes to his ineptitude
You should know a couple more in general.
Now Angel will have the time to become a spokesperson for LASIK eye surgery. Correction: he now has the time to get refractive eye surgery.
It's a shame he ump'ed with his eyes closed... he missed some great baseball over the years