After more than 30 years in Major League Baseball (MLB), Cuban umpire Ángel Hernández retires immediately, leaving behind a myriad of controversial decisions and two lost lawsuits against the world's premier baseball entity.
Major League Baseball issued a statement to the media on Monday on behalf of Hernández, in which the veteran umpire confirmed his departure. Both parties negotiated a financial agreement for two weeks before reaching a resolution in recent hours, according to Usa Today.
Since my first Major League game in 1991, I have had the great experience of making the dream I had as a child of being an umpire in the Majors come true," said the native of Havana in the statement.
"There is nothing better than working in a profession that you truly enjoy. I treasure the camaraderie of my colleagues and the friendships I made along the way, including the locker room attendants in every city I visited," he continued.
Despite everything, Hernández stated, "I have decided to spend more time with my family" and made it clear that he is proud to have worked for so long in the MLB system.
In his resume, it states that he worked at three All-Star Games (1999, 2009, and 2017), 12 Division Series, eight Championship Series, and two World Series (2002 and 2005). Before reaching the Big Leagues, he played in the Florida State League, Carolina League, Southern League, American Association, and the Interleague in Venezuela.
Resident in Florida, he was one of the two MLB referees assigned to the exhibition game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team, held at the Latin American Stadium in Havana in 2016.
At 62 years old, he worked his final game on May 9th in the victory of the Chicago White Sox over the Cleveland Guardians (3-2) at Guaranteed Rate Field. He has not worked in the World Series since 2005.
Hernández, considered by some as the most controversial baseball umpire, filed a discrimination lawsuit in 2017 against MLB, alleging that he was overlooked for a crew chief position and World Series assignments because of his race.
The fact was dismissed in the United States District Court in 2021, granting MLB summary judgment. The United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision last year.
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