Angel Hernandez was once again at the center of an ugly situation on Wednesday night, and Kansas City Royals pitcher Brady Singer was furious with the umpire over what transpired.
Singer was ejected in the sixth inning of Kansas City’s loss to the Cleveland Indians along with manager Mike Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred. Matheny and Eldred were tossed by Hernandez after Singer was called for a balk with one out in the frame. Singer lasted one more batter and was ejected when acting manager Pedro Grifol went out to take the ball from him.
Singer unloaded on Hernandez on his way off the field. He got right in the umpire’s face before being restrained by Whit Merrifield. You can see the video below:
Brady Singer and Angel Hernandez get into it. #TogetherRoyal pic.twitter.com/ukwNOmmVu9
— Justin Groc (@jgroc) May 6, 2021
As Alex Lewis of The Athletic recapped, the frustration with Hernandez began with one out and a runner on first. Singer threw a pitch inside to Jose Ramirez, and Hernandez ruled that the ball hit the third baseman. Singer thought it hit the bat, and the Royals challenged. The call was upheld.
Singer then walked Franmil Reyes and was called for a balk on the next batter. That’s when the Royals dugout went ballistic. The Royals were leading 4-0 at the time, but they allowed three runs that inning and ended up losing 5-4. Matheny told reporters he was angry because you “hate when things change the course of a close game.” Singer agreed.
“I’m out there fighting for the team. It’s a big game. We’re trying to get back in the series. And you’ve got that stuff going on,” Singer said. “I’m fighting for the guys. I’m trying to get the win. You’ve got other factors into the game. It sucks. I’m busting like h-ll to try to win the game and stuff like that happens. Kinda how it is. I guess.”
It probably didn’t help the situation that Hernandez was the one making the calls. The longtime umpire has long faced criticism for his controversial calls. He was even ruthlessly mocked by TV announcers during a spring training this year because of his reputation. You can see that video here.
