Umpire Ángel Hernández Finishes Regular Season With Worst Rating in MLB
As expected, Ángel Hernández finished the 2023 regular season as the lowest-rated umpire in baseball.
Umpire Auditor, which tracks missed calls in each game throughout the season, reported that Hernández racked up 161 bad calls in 10 games this season. Alongside their announcement that Hernández had the worst season of any umpire in the league, Umpire Auditor attached a thread of his worst moments of the year.
The 62-year-old Hernández missed over half of the 2023 season due to back surgery, eventually going on a minor league rehab assignment in July to get readjusted to the game following his extended absence. Ironically, he made headlines for his inconsistent and poor calls in Triple-A, as well as upon his return to the big leagues.
Hernández missed 15 calls in a game between the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees on Aug. 12, and he hit a new low when he missed another 15 calls in the Pittsburgh Pirates' victory over the Washington Nationals on Sept. 14. Based on strike zone call accuracy, Hernández's performance that day was the worst by any MLB umpire in five years.
Perhaps Hernández's crowning achievement, however, came when he ejected Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper for arguing a critical check-swing call on Sept. 28. Hernández apparently told Harper that he would know he was wrong to argue once he watched the replay, although the replay very clearly proved the slugger's frustrations to be warranted.
None of this was new for Hernández, who has long been criticized by fans, pundits, players and managers alike. Hernández's poor reputation has even led MLB to turn to other umpires when the games matter most, considering he has not worked the World Series since 2005.
Hernández filed a federal lawsuit against MLB in 2017, alleging racial discrimination was a factor in his lack of postseason opportunities. A United States district judge ruled in MLB's favor in 2021, and an appeals court once again refused to reinstate the case this August.
It remains to be seen which games, if any, Hernández will call in the 2023 MLB Postseason.
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