Keith Hernandez understands and agrees with Miami Marlins pitcher José Ureña hitting Ronald Acuña with a pitch that looked to be intentional.
Acuña came into Wednesday’s game between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins on fire. He had hit home runs in five consecutive games, including three straight to lead off the game. Ureña made sure the streak didn’t reach six on his watch by hitting Acuña with the first pitch of the game. There were few who doubted Ureña intention. ESPN Stats and Info provided some interesting data regarding the pitch that hit Acuña, noting it was his hardest pitch thrown this season to start a game.
The pitch that hit Ronald Acuña was 97.5 MPH.
Out of the 2,125 pitches that José Ureña has thrown this season, that's in the 99th percentile of the fastest pitches he's thrown.
That was also the fastest pitch José Ureña has ever thrown to open a game. pic.twitter.com/KYLVQvqER8
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 16, 2018
Many were irate at Ureña. Hernandez, a former NL MVP who is now a Mets announcer, was not among them. He said during Wednesday’s SNY telecast that he was in agreement about Acuña needing to be hit.
Braves fans please advise. pic.twitter.com/LDHsVPfjDN
— Kyle Sandy (@KyleSandy355) August 16, 2018
“They’re killing you. You’ve lost three games. He’s hit three home runs … you gotta hit him! I’m sorry. People are not going to like that. You gotta hit him, you gotta seriously knock him down if you’re not going to hit him.”
Hernandez shared more on the unwritten rules, which suggest you hit the player but not in the head or neck.
This is a very antiquated perspective and a reason baseball is losing popularity. The sport’s “unwritten rules” have long been criticized. As long as people like Hernandez, who is no stranger to harsh criticism, still believe in the unwritten rules, they likely won’t be going away anytime soon.
