Former Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones was so disgusted with the umpiring of Angel Hernandez on Friday night, he began telling fans to boycott Hernandez-umpired games.
Jones first got upset when Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons was called out on strikes to lead off the team’s 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Simmons was called out on a 1-2 pitch from Cliff Lee that was up in the zone. It was so high that catcher Humberto Quintero threw the ball back to Lee instead of down to third base because he was expecting it to be called a ball.
Below you can see the location of the pitch:
And here’s Quintero getting ready to throw the ball back to the pitcher instead of around the horn:
That controversial call by Hernandez to start the game ticked off Chipper, who tweeted this:
Didn't take Angel long to screw up the strike zone, did it??? Hang with em, Simba!!!
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) July 5, 2013
If you thought that was bad, then we were just getting warmed up. In the third, Hernandez punched out catcher Gerald Laird on a pitch similarly high in the zone. Laird lost it and was ejected for going ape on Hernandez. Manager Freddy Gonzalez came out to contest the call and was also ejected:
Chipper was so upset with the poor show by Hernandez, he said he was refusing to watch games umpired by Hernandez. He also encouraged fans to boycott Hernandez-umpired games.
I will not watch a game, any game, officiated by Angel Hernandez! His incompetence amazes me and I'm tired of MLB doing squat about it! Nite
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) July 5, 2013
Our only recourse, as fans, is to turn the station whenever he, or his crew, are on the field. When viewer numbers go down, MLB will notice.
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) July 6, 2013
Keep in mind that Hernandez is responsible for one of the worst strike calls we have ever seen, and he’s also the same guy who refused to overturn a call on a home run clearly hit by the Oakland A’s.
While I’m all for boycotting Hernandez since he’s so awful, I actually did think the call on Laird was fair. What’s wrong with calling high strikes?
