May 28th, 2024 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka Monday, May 27, 2024, was a good day for Major League Baseball.
Shortly after 6 PM PT, USA Today Major League Baseball columnist Bob Nightengale posted this on social media:
Ángel Hernández has long been considered by many (most) baseball fans to be the worst umpire in the game throughout his 33 seasons as an MLB umpire, especially when it came to calling balls and strikes.
“Ángel was horrible,” Hall of Fame right-hander and one time Dodger Pedro Martinez once said of the 62-year-old Cuba native. “Don’t get me going on Ángel now. Major League Baseball needs to do something about Ángel. It doesn’t matter how many times he sues Major League Baseball, he’s as bad as there is.”
“I don’t understand why he’s doing these games. He’s always bad. He’s a bad umpire,” echoed six-time All-Star left-hander CC Sabathia.
“These games” include:
- 1999 All-Star Game
- 2002 World Series
- 2005 World Series
- 2009 All-Star Game
- 1999 MLB Season Opener
- 2000 MLB Season Opener
As for that “…sues Major League Baseball” thing, Hernández sued MLB, claiming that he did not receive the prestigious postseason umpiring assignments or the opportunity to become a crew chief he felt he deserved in spite of high marks on evaluations because of MLB’s alleged preference for non-ethnic umpires. MLB responded (through its counsel) that (any) “allegation that they have engaged in any discriminatory conduct (was) unsupported by the evidence,” which the court ultimately agreed with.
(Rangers.com)
As Nightingale notes in his USA Today piece, “Hernández was never considered MLB’s worst umpire, according to MLB’s statistical studies and reports, but in the court of public opinion, there wasn’t anyone who missed more calls as a home-plate umpire.”
Bob Nightengale is clearly being a very kind here – Ángel Hernández was “…MLB’s worst umpire.”
…with emphasis on was.
Play Ball!
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Posted in 
Good riddance. Should have happened years ago. Not only bad at calling balls and strikes but also was biased and had a bad attitude.
Imagine doing a job for THIRTY THREE YEARS and after all that there is unison you were terrible at your job! I can’t imagine how hard and bitter that could make a person. It might motivate you to go be even worse at it!
I’m sure his severance pay will ease the pain. Still would suck to know that you were considered terrible at your lifelong career.
I suppose decades long of videos showing bad calls isn’t enough to convince him how bad he is, anyone else doing that would have been out of a job long ago.
I certainly realize that the MLB umpire’s union is a necessary evil and very good at protecting its members, but you would think that personal pride would have come into play at some point over Angel’s well documented egregiously blown calls.
i believe he took pride in what he got away with.
if you recall, when replay came in he said he didn’t care what it showed, he wouldn’t overturn a call.
i often imagine CB, Laz, cowboy joe and angel (maybe others) texting the group ” did you see my call in 3rd last night ?!? LOL! with multiple responses “ok, ok, watch my highlites tonight!”