Phillies unforgettable dust-ups with newly retired controversial umpire Angel Hernández
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 24: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies argues with home plate umpire Angel Hernandez after being called out on strikes during the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park on April 24, 2022
PHILADELPHIA - Maligned MLB umpire Angel Hernández called it quits mid-season, which gives us an excuse to look back on some of his most controversial calls in Philadelphia.
Hernández, 62, is arguably one of the most polarizing umpires in the history of the sport. He has been at the center of baseball memes and a dozen YouTube breakdowns showing Hernández making iffy and questionable calls during MLB games.
Hernández's last game with MLB was on May 9, and the news of the retirement came as the longtime umpire and MLB were in the middle of working out a settlement. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Hernández and the league reached a settlement, but he did not specify what the settlement was about.
Whether he was calling balls and strikes or manning the bases, MLB fans can recall at least one of Hernández's contentious calls over his 30-year career. In Philadelphia, fans will likely recall two of Hernández's head-scratchers that caused two Phillies stars to lose their cool.
Kyle Schwarber - 4/24/2022
It was only the sixteenth game of the season, but a one-run game in the bottom of the ninth is a dreamlike scenario for most ballplayers, which could have been why Phillies' slugger Kyle Schwarber went berserk on a questionable called third strike.
Too close to take? Maybe. But Umpire Auditor said Hernández missed 19 calls that night – including six strikeouts on pitches out of the zone. One of his most egregious strike calls that night – a game that was ESPN's exclusive Sunday Night Baseball broadcast – was six inches off the plate against then-Phillies infielder Jean Segura.
All that to say, Schwarber's crazed reaction was likely a boiling over of emotions withheld by players on both sides during the 9-inning affair. Schwarber, who was in his first year with the Phillies, slammed down his bat, then his helmet, and was immediately ejected by Hernández after the third strike that appeared to be off the plate.
We'll never know exactly what was said during Schwarber's tirade, but even Phillies fans couldn't hold their tongues after the game. Well known Philly sports account The Philly Captain, caught Hernández leaving Citizen's Bank Park that night and yelled "You stink, and I don't like you!" as he drove by.
Bryce Harper - 9/28/2023
Who could forget when Bryce Harper got so mad on a check-swing third strike call by Angel Hernández that he fired his helmet into the crowd?
It was the third inning of a tie game against the cross-state rival Pittsburgh Pirates when Hernández, according to Harper, found himself "in the middle of something again."
Harper, with a 3-2 count in the third inning, took a diving slider out of the zone and appeared to check his swing. He was so confident in his check-swing that he began taking off his protective equipment to head to first base before Hernández, on an appeal from the home plate ump, said he swung.
Harper marched about halfway down the third baseline, shouting his disapproval of the call, and was immediately ejected from the game. "No way! That's terrible" Harper is seen yelling - among other things - as he continued down the line to confront Hernández face-to-face.
Harper stormed back towards the Phillies dugout after being separated from Hernández by an umpire and manager Rob Thomas. That's when the All-Star chucked his helmet over the protective netting on the first base side and into the crowd of riled up Phillies fans.
"Every year, same story, same thing," Harper told reporters after the game about Hernández questionable officiating. "I'm going to get fined for being right, but, again, it's just the same thing over and over and over again."