Angel Hernandez is a dumpster fire

The Angel Hernandez show has come to baseball once again, as his ineptitude reared its head during Game Three of the ALDS between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

In theory, the MLB postseason is a time for the best and brightest to shine. The best teams are battling one another in their quest to bring home a championship. Naturally, to make sure that the games are called properly, the best umpires in the game are a part of the postseason. And then, there is Angel Hernandez.

Consistently rated as one of the worst umpires by the players and managers, Hernandez has been a target for frequent criticism, a great deal of which is deserved. His strike zone can best be described as nebulous, his ability to pay attention to the game questionable. There are times where it seems as though he is watching a completely different game than the one unfolding before him. There is zero reason as to why he should ever be on the diamond in a playoff game, unless he somehow managed to hijack the costume of Wally the Green Monster.

And yet, there is Hernandez, an umpire whose ability ranks below that of Frank Drebin as he tried to keep Reggie Jackson from killing the Queen of England, as a part of a playoff umpiring crew. As horrific as his umpiring had been in the past, it may well have reached the low point during Game Three of the ALDS between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

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Now, every umpire may miss a call every once in a while. In a bad game, an umpire may miss two calls. Hernandez may have actually missed four calls at first base during Game Three, but only three were overturned. If he flipped a coin, he may well have had a better chance of getting the calls right.

Let’s review the moments that shredded an credibility that Hernandez had left. First, in the bottom of the second inning, he called Didi Gregorius safe on a bunt, giving the Yankees runners on first and second. Replay overturned that call, ruling that Gregorius was out.

An inning later, Gleybar Torres led off with a slow roller on the infield. Hernandez decreed that he was out, but again, that was incorrect. Replay gave Torres an infield hit, although the Yankees were unable to score in the inning.

Then came the bottom of the fourth. Luke Voit was called safe on an infield single that hit pitcher Nathan Eovaldi‘s glove. That call was upheld, probably because there was not a conclusive angle to show that Hernandez had his eyes closed once again. But, then again, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every so often.

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Hernandez struck again in the bottom of the fourth, as Gregorius was involved once again. This time, the shortstop was called out on a 4-6-3 double play, but that call was reversed into an RBI fielder’s choice. By overturning the call, the Yankees at least got to claim one run in their drubbing at the hands of the Red Sox.

Somehow, Hernandez was allowed to complete the game without being removed from the field for a mandatory eye exam. Of course, that may well have to do with his lawsuit against MLB, where Hernandez contends that the game is discriminating against him by keeping him from being named a crew chief, or working in the postseason. Or, instead discrimination, it could be that Hernandez is a dumpster fire on the diamond.

For Game Four, there was Hernandez, calling balls and strikes. Fortunately for him, strike calls cannot be overturned, which should keep the fans from storming the field in riot mode. It did not take long for Hernandez to get under CC Sabathia‘s skin, as the Yankees starter stared in at the umpire after several pitch calls. Then, as he walked off the field after the first, he had some words for the veteran umpire.

Of course, Sabathia had a reason for his annoyance. Just take a look at Hernandez’ strike zone in the first inning:

It is seemingly a matter of time before Hernandez goes Ump Show and tosses someone, anyone, for daring to disagree with his calls. And on replay, they will probably be proven correct, as Hernandez could not get a close call right if his life depended on it. In baseball, a .300 average is an excellent performance, at least if you’re a hitter. However, if you’re an umpire, that is beyond pathetic. Yet, that number would be a pretty good score compared to Hernandez over the past few games.

To say that Angel Hernandez is a dumpster fire may be an insult to dumpster fires. Nonetheless, his incompetence knows no bounds.