Angel Hernandez has been an MLB umpire since 1991, but he probably never received more attention while working first base than he did during Monday night’s ALDS game between the Red Sox and Yankees. In fact, Hernandez’s night was talked about so much that the league had to issue a statement.
Following Boston’s 16-1 win over New York, MLB addressed the numerous reviews that came as a result of calls Hernandez made at first — three of which were overturned.
Angel Hernandez declined to talk postgame. MLB issued a statement through a spokesman:
“There were several very close calls at first base tonight, and we are glad that instant replay allowed the umpiring crew to achieve the proper result on all of them.”
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 9, 2018
Four of Hernandez’s calls were reviewed, and three ended up being changed. While three of the plays were extremely close, he missed on one call badly. MLB must be relieved that there is replay in place, otherwise there would be major controversy surrounding Hernandez.
Hernandez has a reputation for making bad calls. Monday night’s performance called more attention to that, and one Hall of Famer has already ripped him for it. With Hernandez scheduled to work home plate for Game 4 on Tuesday, we will probably hear his name mentioned plenty during the TV broadcast.
