You’re never going to believe this, but Angel Hernandez is in the news again for another blown call.
The Philadelphia Phillies welcomed the Pittsburgh Pirates to town to conclude a three-game series on Thursday night. Phillies slugger Bryce Harper was up to bat in the third inning with the score tied at 1 run apiece. Harper stood with a full count and one out against Pirates pitcher Luis Ortiz.
Ortiz threw his pitch and Harper checked his swing. Anticipating a walk, the two-time National League Most Valuable Player became surprised just like everybody else at Citizens Bank Park when Hernandez, the third base umpire during Thursday night’s game, ruled it strike 3. Harper was out, but Bryce became enraged.
Harper walked up the third base line to confront the infamous umpire. He was not happy and had an animated argument with him as he approached him up the line. He got in his face before a Phillies coach intervened and was able to whisk him aside.
Harper walked off the field to a unanimous round of cheers from Phillies fans in attendance. Harper acknowledged those cheers by throwing his helmet out into the crowd after Hernandez ejected him. A replay of the check swing showed that Harper was nowhere close to swinging the bat. And yet, that didn’t stop him from getting called out on strikes anyway. And since you can’t argue balls and strikes, Hernandez tossed the two-time MVP from the game.
Speaking of unanimous, reactions and responses from the MLB world were unanimously against Angel Hernandez. What, you were expecting something else?
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022