New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Tuesday surprisingly came to the defense of recently retired umpire Angel Hernandez.
On Monday, Hernandez announced his retirement after serving over three decades as an MLB umpire.
Boone appeared on Tuesday’s episode of the “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast. The Yankees skipper was asked to give his initial thoughts on Hernandez’s sudden retirement (18:01 mark).
“I guess a little just caught off guard by the timing of it,” said Boone. “Honestly, I think sometimes he’s unfairly the poster child or the face of bad umpiring or whatever it may be. To me, there’s worse umpires out there.”
Aaron Boone says Angel Hernandez isn’t as bad as people think, and there are umpires worse than him pic.twitter.com/BHlJHsNarE
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 28, 2024
Boone has had his issues with Hernandez in the past. But the Yankees have also been the beneficiaries of some of Hernandez’s “bad” calls at times.
Hernandez last served as home plate umpire for a May 9 contest between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Ill. After the White Sox’ 3-2 victory, Hernandez left the crew and did not return. He was replaced by second-year umpire Jacob Metz.
Hernandez first umpired in the majors during the 1991 season. Since then, the 62-year-old has worked nearly 4,000 MLB games. Hernandez worked just 46 games last season — his lowest total since 1992 — due to a medical issue.
