Pitcher trolls Ángel Hernández after Spring Training ejection

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn was ejected from Friday’s Grapefruit League start against the Washington Nationals. No bonus points for correctly guessing which umpire tossed him.

Indeed, it was Ángel Hernández.

After struggling through the first two innings, Lynn took the mound for the third. He and Hernández quickly got into a debate, which led to Hernández sending Lynn to the showers.

Lynn later offered a gem of a quote, saying that Hernández was in “midseason form.”

The pitcher explained in more detail what happened.

“(Umpire Angel Hernandez) started chirping at the (Cards) dugout and I told him, ‘They know it was a strike.’ He told me, ‘Let’s go!’ And I told him, ‘I have five seconds on the pitch clock and I’ll start whenever I feel like it,'” he said, per John Denton, MLB.com. “I threw the next pitch and I was like, ‘There’s a strike!’ And then it was ‘see you later.'”

Lynn also explained that he went to the bullpen to finish his throws for the day and was ejected from there, as well.

As is often the case, MLB fans and commentators had plenty to say about Hernández, as well.

Angel Hernandez’s entire career makes way more sense when you remember that Satan used to be an angel https://t.co/woukU8REFb

— ░T░E░N░T░I░N░░Q░U░A░R░A░N░T░I░N░O░ (@TentyQuarantino) March 9, 2024

While fans have generally become more frustrated with MLB umpires in recent seasons, Ángel Hernández is in a class by himself.

[Derrick Goold on Twitter/X, John Denton on Twitter/X]