Umpire Ángel Hernández went viral once again for a botched call in the Washington Nationals' game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon.
Hernández, who was calling his first game from behind the plate since 2022, mistakenly called a ball on a pitch that was several inches inside the bottom center of the strike zone. Instead of going up in that count 1-2, left-hander MacKenzie Gore went down 2-1.
The broadcast team was immediately critical of Hernández, making sure to point out that it wasn't his first mistake of the day either.
Gore came back and threw a high fastball to right fielder Tyrone Taylor, who launched a solo home run to left field with two down in the top of the second.
An RBI single by third baseman Jake Alu tied things up in the third, but that could have been a go-ahead hit if it weren't for Hernández's blunder.
The 61-year-old Hernández had missed most of the 2023 season due to back surgery, eventually going on a minor league rehab assignment in July to get readjusted to the game following his extended absence. Ironically, he made headlines for his inconsistent and poor calls in Triple-A as well.
In his first game back in the majors on Monday, Hernández was the second base umpire for the series opener between the Nationals and Brewers. Hernández called Nationals outfielder Alex Call safe on a stolen base attempt, but a replay review quickly overturned what should have been an easy call in the Brewers' favor.
None of this is new for Hernández, who has long been criticized by fans, pundits, players and managers. Looking at both accuracy and consistency, Hernández is right up there with Laz Diaz, Doug Eddings and CB Bucknor as the least effective MLB umpires out there.
The Nationals and Brewers split the first two games of their series, making Wednesday's showdown a rubber match. Washington and Milwaukee are tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning.
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