It’s worth asking at this point if Major League Baseball actually cares that Ángel Hernández directly affects every game that he’s been behind the plate before. It was a problem in the last game Hernández was behind the plate. It was a problem when Hernández was behind the plate for Saturday’s New York Yankees-Miami Marlins game. It’ll be a problem when Hernández is behind the plate again.
In the top of the seventh inning of Saturday’s contest, Hernández had MLB fans up in arms again.
The first pitch of Billy McKinney’s at-bat against Miami’s Sandy Alcántara was called a ball. It was clearly in the zone. In fact, it wasn’t even close to not being a strike. The third pitch, which was outside the zone, was, of course, called a strike. Naturally. Then, the fifth pitch of the at-bat to New York’s McKinney was even more clearly a strike than the first pitch. And Hernández called it a ball.
As Twitter user, Rob Friedman, who runs the Pitching Ninja account pointed out, it’s like flipping a coin when it comes Ángel.
Codify Baseball pointed out another instance during the game, which happened to be in the next half inning, in which Hernández called a strike that was a ball during an at-bat between Jhony Brito and Jazz Chsiolm Jr.
Those in the MLB world were quick to react to the latest blunder on Hernández’s long list of misdeeds:
He's so awful
— HowRYa (@Howie6149) August 12, 2023
Coins are right more often tho
— Hot Whistle (@drillyamama) August 12, 2023
— MIA Sports
(@SportsMia) August 12, 2023