Umpire Ángel Hernández often finds himself at the forefront of Major League Baseball umpire controversies. And we mean often. For decades now, Hernández’s umpiring has been a subject of persistent criticism from fans, reporters, announcers, and players.
In case you’re wondering, that hasn’t stopped in 2024. At all. ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently attempted to find solutions that would result in accountability for the often-criticized Hernández, saying that adding automated strike zones and challenge systems could help.
Ken Rosenthal doesn’t think there’s anything left to prove. The longtime insider argued this week that MLB needs to do something about the embattled umpire.
“What is the line where finally someone will step in?” asked Foul Territory host Scott Braun on a recent episode.
“I don’t know the answer to that,” Rosenthal said. “There has to be a line, right? There has to be a line where you tell the umpires enough is enough. We cannot stand this anymore.”
Rosenthal says that when Hernández sued MLB, the longtime umpire’s viewpoint came out and it didn’t reflect well. Still, MLB hasn’t done anything.
“Why aren’t you guys embarrassed by this?” Rosenthal says he recently texted an MLB umpire. He felt the recent string was so egregious that it had to generate some kind of response. However, Ken said that the umpire was lenient and that most umpires actually like Ángel Hernández. Rosenthal said he was “stunned” to hear that because enough evidence has trickled out over the years.
Co-host A.J. Pierzynski pushed back on what Rosenthal said, noting that the longtime ump acts differently after you initially meet him.
“Ángel’s a nice guy… nice conversations with him. But at the end of the day, I’m judged on my performance. He should be judged on his. All these guys should be,” Pierzynski said.
Rosenthal said he just relayed what was said but said the umpire requested anonymity to avoid the wrath that would undoubtedly come with defending Ángel Hernández.
