Angel Hernandez RETIRES: The MLB umpire calls it quits after 33 years in the major leagues

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Angel Hernandez - the controversial baseball umpire who's been at the center of ridicule from fans, coaches, and players across the spectrum of Major League Baseball - has announced his retirement from the sport.

Hernandez worked his final game behind the plate back on May 9 in a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians. He was replaced on the crew and did not come back.

A high ranking MLB official initially told USA Today's Bob Nightengale the news under the condition of anonymity - ahead of an expected announcement from Major League Baseball announcement on Tuesday.

However, Hernandez then confirmed his retirement himself on Monday night, saying in a statement: 'Starting with my first Major League game in 1991, I have had the very good experience of living out my childhood dream of umpiring in the major leagues. 

'There is nothing better than working at a profession that you enjoy. I treasured the camaraderie of my colleagues and the friendships I have made along the way, including our locker room attendants in all the various cities. 

Angel Hernandez - Major League Baseball's most controversial umpire - is set to retire Tuesday

'I have decided that I want to spend more time with my family. Needless to say, there have been many positive changes in the game of baseball since I first entered the profession. This includes the expansion and promotion of minorities. 

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'I am proud that I was able to be an active participant in that goal while being a Major League umpire.' 

Hernandez has called two World Series' in his career in 2002 and 2005 while calling eight League Championship Series' and 12 Division Series'. 

He had garnered himself a reputation for being one of the worst umpires in Major League Baseball - with player surveys backing that up for nearly two decades.

In 2006 and 2011, Sports Illustrated surveys of MLB players listed Hernandez as the third-worst umpire in the majors - and a 2010 ESPN survey showed that 22 percent of MLB players identified him as the worst in the big leagues. 

Back in July of 2017, Hernandez sued MLB, alleging that racial discrimination was part of the reason he was overlooked for World Series games and crew chief promotions.

The case was ruled in favor of Major League Baseball back in March of 2021 - saying that MLB did not discriminate against Hernandez and that 'evidence shows... that an umpire's leadership and situation management carried the day in MLB's promotion decisions.'

He has a reputation among fans, players, and coaches for being one of MLB's worst umpires

It was revealed in 2022 that Hernandez was set to be on the crew for the 2018 World Series. But that was changed when he had three calls overturned at first base in Game 3 of the ALDS between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

'This was the first time since the advent of expanded instant replay in 2014 that an umpire had three calls overturned in a postseason game,' MLB claimed in a filing of  the lawsuit. 

Hernandez's game load had been dropping in recent years - with the umpire only on the call for ten MLB games in 2023.

But even with that being the case, Sports Illustrated reported that Hernandez missed 161 calls all season and his strike zone accuracy in a Pirates-Nationals game from mid-September was the worst of any umpire in the previous five years.

Hernandez has only been on the call behind the plate for eight games this season.