Cleveland Indians victimized by Angel Hernandez’s complete incompetence

One has to wonder if Angel Hernandez has compromising pictures of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. It is the only explanation for how he still has a job, as his grotesque incompetence has left many players, managers, and broadcasters befuddled by his continued presence. On Tuesday, the Cleveland Indians became the latest team to receive the brunt of his inability to do his job.

It started simply enough. The Royals had runners on second and third with one out and Salvador Perez at the plate. He hit a ball to deep right center, easily deep enough to score Whit Merrifield from third. Andrew Benintendi was likely to advance from second to third as well, as Kansas City had a viable threat going.

Cleveland Indians face the brunt of Angel Hernandez’s incompetence

And then…chaos. Center fielder Harold Ramirez lost the ball in the lights, as Perez’s drive found the dirt. Right fielder Josh Naylor quickly retrieved the ball and fired it in, so quickly that one would have almost missed that it hit the ground.

Apparently, the entire umpiring crew lost the ball, did not see it hit the ground, or were not paying attention at all. None of the umpires made a call as to whether or not the ball was caught, leading to confusion on the basepaths. Merrifield tagged and scored, but Benintendi was caught between second and third in a state of confusion. Perez was unsure if he should stay on first or if he was out. The only things definite were that the Royals scored a run and Benintendi was out.

Enter Angel Hernandez to make matters worse. After a huddle with the other umpires, he awarded Benintendi third base, saying that the Royals outfielder was confused. It makes sense that Hernandez would feel that confusion overrides the rulebook – that’s essentially how he umpires.

Ultimately, Hernandez’s latest display of complete incompetency did not matter. The Indians were able to escape the inning without further damage. However, San Hentges was forced to face two more batters, and throw 11 more pitches, than he should have. With Cleveland in the midst of a bullpen game, that makes a difference.

One would understand if the Indians played this game under protest. Not understanding what is happening on the diamond is no excuse to give a player a base – Benintendi should have tagged up at the very least instead of being caught in no man’s land. But if Angel Hernandez understands one thing, it is the concept of having no idea what is happening during the game.

The Cleveland Indians have become the latest victim of Angel Hernandez’s gross incompetence. Sadly, there will be many more teams stuck in the same situation.