A nice guy: Many in baseball remember scorned and suddenly retired umpire Ángel Hernández fondly
SAN DIEGO (AP) — After further review, maybe Ángel Hernández wasn't that bad of a guy.
That seemed to be the prevailing sentiment among major league managers and players who reacted to the sudden retirement of the longtime and often scorned umpire, whose big league career began more than three decades ago.
Most of those who spoke about the 62-year-old Hernández mentioned his long tenure and pleasant personal interactions rather than any beefs over missed calls or ejections. Some had reactions that were open to interpretation, and some simply declined to comment. Some players even said they'll miss him.
“Whether he's good, bad or indifferent, I know that a lot of people have a very strong opinion of Ángel,” Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday. “We don’t have to worry about that anymore. He was a good human being, he treated me well. I always had great conversations with him, and that’s what I’ll remember most.”
Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker chuckled when asked for his reaction to the retirement of the umpire who unsuccessfully sued Major League Baseball for racial discrimination.
“I will say that Ángel is a really good guy. That is real," Schumaker said. "He did a lot of stuff in the community, especially in Florida. If you talk to a lot of guys, they'll say he was one of the nicest guys of the umpire crews. There are also worse umpires than Ángel. He got a lot of criticism for some calls and obviously a lot of umpires are going to get criticism for calls.
“Umpiring is not easy. It's hard," Schumaker added. "I don't know why he retired so quick, there's probably something behind that. I think the game tells you when you should retire. The game told me when I should retire. I hope he has a really good retirement and enjoys himself.”
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was the last manager ejected by Hernández and Lance Lynn was the last player, both in spring training.
“I love that," Marmol said about that distinction. “I have zero comment.”
Texas Rangers rookie outfielder/designated hitter Wyatt Langford, back in the clubhouse Tuesday after being activated from the injured list, said he got several texts Monday after the news that Hernández was retiring. The messages were about him being on the receiving end of one of the last overly egregious moments by the umpire.
On April 12 at Houston, with Hernández behind the plate and J.P. France pitching for the Astros, Langford had a 2-0 count before Hernández rang him up on three straight pitches out of the zone.
“At one point, it stinks, but one side of is it kind of cool, actually, to be one the last guys,” Langford said.
Langford said he saw the video Monday when it popped up somewhere.
“I forgot how bad it was, the last pitch,” he said.
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor thinks Hernández is going to be missed and called him “probably one of my favorite umps.” He said Hernández would often ask how Naylor and his brothers were doing.
“The keyboard warriors don’t interact with him, so they can’t speak on how he really is. He’s a very kind person,” Naylor said.
San Diego Padres slugger Manny Machado said some players will miss him and some won’t. He’ll remember Hernández as being “so nice, so kind. He had that old-school mentality.
“He’s had a hell of a career, long time,” Machado said. “I love Ángel. Obviously, he’s made some pretty foolish calls and stuff, but I think it’s human nature. I think the game nowadays has changed so much. It’s not easy for those guys out there, I think that’s what I’ve learned.”
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Hernández has "wrongly been the poster child, to be a punching bag for officiating. The reality is, he spent a lot of time in this league and cared about his craft. He’s a great guy and I wish him well in his next chapter. I think it’s a little unfortunate what I think is over-the-top criticism of him even going into retirement.”
Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington said Hernández “must have had enough.”
When someone pointed out to Washington that he criticized Hernández in 2011, he said: "You won’t find a single manager, player or coach that ever questioned Ángel Hernández who also haven’t questioned other umpires out there.”
Said Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson: “That’s the last job I’d ever want. I’m telling you, because there’s so much scrutiny. But he’s a good man. He loved the game, so I wish him all the best.”
Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker said he's known Hernández since their days in the Carolina League. “Ángel is a very nice man. He’s always been really good to me, very respectful and that’s what I look at. I don’t look at the other stuff.”
Seattle manager Scott Servais broke into the majors as a catcher in 1991, which was when Hernández did his first big league game.
“So I got to catch with him behind me, I’ve been in the dugout when he’s been out there. So, a very long career and he’s been around the game, saw a lot of things. That’s how I’m going to answer it,” Servais said.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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AP Sports Writers Stephen Hawkins, Joe Reedy and Steve Megargee, and freelancers Gary Schatz, Eric He, Jack Magruder and Shane Lantz contributed to this report.
