Ángel Hernández misses every strike in PBA debut

In a twist of irony, Ángel Hernández, Major League Baseball’s most controversial umpire, has failed to hit a single strike in his Professional Bowlers Association debut just days after his abrupt retirement from baseball.

Hernández was the source of countless memes and frustration for baseball players and fans alike throughout his umpiring career, which spanned more than 30 years from 1991 – 2024, thanks to his reputation for missing calls and abrupt ejections.

“Starting with my first major league game in 1991, I have had the very good experience of living out my childhood dream of umpiring in the major leagues,” said Hernández, in a statement announcing his retirement. “There is nothing better than working at a profession that you enjoy. I treasured the camaraderie of my colleagues and the friendships I have made along the way, including our locker room attendants in all the various cities.”

Hernández, 63, would go on to say it was a difficult decision to leave the MLB, but one he felt was important in order to spend more time with his family and to focus on his passion for bowling.

Unfortunately for Hernández, his professional bowling debut didn’t go as well as he hoped. In the ten frames he bowled, he failed to get a single strike (knocking down all the pins with a single ball) and finished with a measly score of 72 out of a possible 300 points.

“I don’t think I’ve seen so many 7-10 splits in a single game, ever,” said Norm Duke, holder of 37 PBA Tour titles and guest commentator for PBA Bowling on ESPN 8, The Ocho. “For a guy who used to give out strikes for balls tossed into the grandstands at Yankee Stadium, the fact he couldn’t get a strike in this match even if he had bumpers in the gutters is mind-boggling.”

Despite being discouraged by his performance, the Cuban-born former umpire isn’t going to allow the criticism to distract him from achieving his goal of becoming a successful professional bowler.

“I’ve called batters out on pitches that would’ve hit them if they didn’t dive out of the way; I’ve tossed players out of games for breathing to heavily,” said Hernández. “If you think a little trash talk from the peanut gallery is going to phase me, you’ve got another thing coming.”

According to the PBA website, anyone can enter a PBA tournament by paying a nominal fee, but only full PBA members can qualify for a spot on the PBA National Tour. To qualify for membership, a player must average a minimum score of 200 over a 36-game span. If Hernández’s abysmal score in the last match is any indication of his current skill set, he’s got a long way to go before he finds himself on the National Tour.

With his retirement from baseball, many sports fans were excited about a new era of sports broadcasting that didn’t involve persistent coverage of Hernández’s missed calls. However, with his shift to professional bowling and most recent performance, broadcasting experts believe we can expect to see even more coverage of Hernández and his bowling journey—especially if his scores fail to improve.

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