Veteran MLB umpire Ángel Hernández was up to his old tricks during the Detroit Tigers-New York Mets game on Thursday.
The 62-year-old Ángel Hernández has a long history of blowing calls that have led to widespread criticism. Much of the heat comes from his inconsistent “strike zone” as a home plate umpire, but Hernández took it to another level yesterday afternoon.
The Tigers and Mets concluded their three-game series at Citi Field with a doubleheader on Thursday. In the first game, Detroit had the bases loaded with a 6-3 lead in the top of the 11th inning.
Spencer Torkelson was at the plate to face Mets pitcher Michael Tonkin, looking to add more insurance. Hernández inexplicably called a strike on Torkelson, stating that the 2020 first overall pick failed to check his swing.
The overhead camera angle shows that Torkelson clearly checked his swing, leading one to wonder just exactly what the veteran umpire saw here:
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral MLB stories via Google! Follow Us
Torkelson would ground out to third to the end the inning, but the Tigers’ bullpen shut down the New York lineup in the bottom half of the inning to secure a 6-3 win. The Mets avoided the sweep by winning the second game 2-1.
Ángel Hernández Controversies Are A Problem For MLB
Firing Ángel Hernández is much easier said than done. MLB umpires are part of a union and could easily take a matter to court if the league were to reprimand him in any way.
But the bottom line is that Hernández’s list of never-ending controversies are awfully difficult to ignore. It’s one thing for an umpire to get the occasional “ball” or “strike” call wrong, but Hernández’s performance as an umpire seems to decline more and more each year.
As problematic as this is, nothing is going to change. MLB is still behind other professional leagues with its replay system, and the fact they’ve put up with Hernández this long is a clear-cut reminder that he’s here to stay behind home plate long-term.
