CC Sabathia had his spats with Angel Hernandez during his career, and on Monday night, after it was announced that the divisive umpire was retiring, the former Yankee took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to react to the news.
Sabathia posted the closing shot of every Looney Tunes episode, with Porky Pig saying “That’s all folks!” as the words run across the bottom of the screen. The post was in response to a clip that resurfaced on social media after Herandez’s retirement news broke, as the clip showed Sabathia sounding off on Hernandez after the Yankees lost game three of the 2018 ALDS to the Red Sox.
“I don’t think Angel Hernandez should be umping playoff games. He’s absolutely terrible,” Sabathia said. “He was terrible behind the plate…he’s terrible at first base. It’s amazing how he’s getting a job to umpire in these playoff games.”
One of Hernandez’s last games came with controversy as well, as he rung up Gleyber Torres on a called third strike after Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis appeared to step off the mound, only to continue his windup. Torres stepped out, but Francis threw the pitch, and Hernandez rung him up, despite the pitch also being clearly above the strike zone.
Hernandez retires as one of the most infamous and controversial umpires the game has ever seen, though current and former colleagues often strongly defended him against the reputation he built over the years.