MLB has returned and it is like nothing has changed.
The New York Yankees and Washington Nationals began the shortened 2020 season on Thursday, and once the game started, it felt pretty typical. Giancarlo Stanton and Adam Eaton homered for their respective clubs. Things were then completely normalized when Angel Hernandez made his first bad call.
Hernandez, the home plate umpire for the game, called Howie Kendrick out on strikes on a pitch that was off the outside corner.
He’s back! Angel Hernandez on a called strike 3 on Howie Kendrick.
Looks like the type of call you get during a C-grade winter ball game.
Ping @ragibson #MLBOpeningDay #Strike? pic.twitter.com/UzGa058ToD
— Matthew Brick (@mattbrick1) July 23, 2020
Howie Kendrick "strikes out" on one @espn says hits the "outside corner." pic.twitter.com/cOma4jmluM
— Supreme Court Places (@SCOTUSPlaces) July 23, 2020
That call ended the bottom of the first inning and was fairly typical for Hernandez. Missing a call behind the plate is something fans are used to.
Hernandez, 58, has been an MLB umpire since 1991 and has long faced criticism for some of his awful calls. He is suing MLB for discrimination and was accused of eavesdropping on an investigative call last year.
