
Bryce Harper blasts Angel Hernandez: ‘It’s the same story’
PHILADELPHIA (BVM) — Angel Hernandez’s 2023 MLB season hasn’t been great. He called the worst game of any umpire on Sept. 15, and during a Thursday night matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates, he found himself in hot water again after making another questionable call.
Phillies’ first baseman Bryce Harper worked a full count against Pirates righthander Luis Ortiz and following a check-swing, Hernandez called Harper out. Harper argued the call and was promptly ejected from the game and voiced his opinion on the call.
Bryce was just ejected for being correct pic.twitter.com/NUDPF9OOOB
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) September 28, 2023
“I mean, it (the call) was just bad. Just all around,” Harper told Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “You’re grinding out an at-bat, facing a guy I’ve never faced before, I get to a 3-2 count, I take a slider down and in, obviously didn’t go, and wasn’t even thinking about it in that situation. Just taking my stuff off and I heard the crowd’s reaction and I was like, ‘There’s no way (he called a strike).’”
Hernandez has developed a reputation as one of the most unpopular umpires in baseball and has been involved in viral moments before, including throwing Steve McMichael out of Wrigley Field after singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
This makes me laugh so much and I can’t believe I’ve never seen it before:
Steve McMichael of the ‘85 Bears called out Ángel Hernández from the booth for a bad call he made before singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at Wrigley in 2001. Lol. #Cubs pic.twitter.com/GB7gTurtfV
— Matt Musico (@mmusico8) May 17, 2021
No matter what Hernandez does, it seems like he’s never able to escape controversy and according to Harper, it may not be changing anytime soon.
“Just Angel in the middle of something again. It’s just every year, it’s the same story, same thing,” Harper told Coffey. “I’m probably going to get a letter from Michael Hill (MLB’s senior vice-president of on-field operations, who oversees umpires), and I’m going to get fined for being right, again. It’s the same thing over and over and over and over again. It’s just not right.”