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Pirates had no shortage of run-ins with controversial MLB umpire Angel Hernandez | TribLIVE.com
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Pirates/MLB

Pirates had no shortage of run-ins with controversial MLB umpire Angel Hernandez

Justin Guerriero
Justin Guerriero
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AP
Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez looks on during the second inning of a game between the Orioles and the Yankees in August.

Monday brought news that one of MLB’s most controversial figures would be leaving the stage, as umpire Angel Hernandez announced his retirement, ending a career that dates back to 1991.

Hernandez, 62, was a National League umpire from 1991-99 before working across baseball for the remainder of his career.

Whether he was behind the plate or making calls on the field, Hernandez developed a reputation among players and managers for being wrong often.

In 2018, then-New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, following an ALDS loss to the Boston Red Sox, unloaded on Hernandez, who was part of the series’ umpiring crew.

Sabathia seemed to sum up what many around the league thought of Hernandez, who umped two World Series (2002, 2005), three All-Star Games (1999, 2009, 2017) and several division/league championship series.

Hernandez missed time in 2023 because of a back injury and this season, had not umpired since May 9.

As it would turn out, the Pirates had their share of brushes with Hernandez over the years:

Pirates vs. Mets, 1995

In a July 30, 1995, game between the Pirates and New York Mets at Shea Stadium, Hernandez made a questionable safe call at first base, ruling Carl Everett to have beaten a 4-6-3 double play attempt by shortstop Jay Bell.

Everett hit a grounder to Nelson Liriano, who flipped the ball to Bell at second base for one out, but Hernandez made a safe call following Bell’s throw to first, allowing the Mets to tie the game at 1 in the bottom of the sixth.

Pirates manager Jim Leyland quickly emerged from the dugout and had a brief conversation with Hernandez.

The Mets would win the game, 2-1.

Bryce Harper’s eruption, 2023

One of the more recent Hernandez calls involving the Pirates transpired at the end of 2023, during a series with the Philadelphia Phillies.

In the third inning of an eventual 3-2 Pirates win, Bryce Harper worked a full count against Pirates starter Luis Ortiz.

On Ortiz’s next pitch, Harper appeared to check his swing, but at catcher Jason Delay’s appeal, home plate umpire James Hoye signaled down to Hernandez at third base, who ruled Harper had indeed swung, resulting in a strikeout.

Harper, enraged, marched down the third base line to confront Hernandez, at which point he was promptly ejected from the game.

Balls and strikes audit, 2023

Following a 2-0 Pirates win over the Washington Nationals on Sept. 15, 2023, two well-known X profiles who grade the performances of umpires — Umpire Auditor and Umpire Scorecards — produced scathing reports of Hernandez’s day at the office behind home plate.

Per Umpire Auditor, Hernandez’s 82.6% correct call rate on balls and strikes was the worst of the entire 2023 season and the worst by an umpire dating back to April of 2022.

Umpire Scorecards calculated that 12 of Hernandez’s called strikes were balls.

On the day, he posted a 65% called strike accuracy, well below the umpire average of 88%.

Justin Guerriero is a TribLive reporter covering the Penguins, Pirates and college sports. A Pittsburgh native, he is a Central Catholic and University of Colorado graduate. He joined the Trib in 2022 after covering the Colorado Buffaloes for Rivals and freelancing for the Denver Post. He can be reached at jguerriero@triblive.com.

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Categories: Pirates/MLB | Sports
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