Angel Hernandez is back and doing what he does best: blowing calls.
Hernandez returned to umpiring in MLB this week after missing most of the season due to a back injury. On Wednesday, he was behind the plate for the first time this season. He did no favors for Washington Nationals starter Mackenzie Gore in the second inning.
Gore was facing Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Tyrone Taylor and had a 1-1 count with the bases empty and two outs. Gore threw a fastball that touched the lower part of the strike zone, but Hernandez called it a ball. The count became 2-1, and Gore threw a fastball high on the next pitch, which Taylor blasted out to left field for a home run.
Ángel Hernández is back behind the plate in a big league game for the first time in almost ten months.
He misses the call on a 1-1 pitch and the next pitch is a homer. pic.twitter.com/wLKT0VW5y1
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) August 2, 2023
That was Gore’s fault for missing his target on the 2-1 pitch, but being down 2-1 instead of up 1-2 certainly didn’t help.
What’s impressive is that Hernandez has now missed calls twice in three days since returning.
At least the Nats shook off that missed call. They won the game in the 9th thanks to a 2-run throwing error by Andruw Monasterio.
The #Nationals walked off the #Brewers earlier today on an error, which ended up allowing 2 runs to score. pic.twitter.com/BArhGcKr9p
— Last Take™ (@TheRealLastTake) August 2, 2023
