NEW YORK (AP) - Angel Hernandez hit .250 in Game 3 of the AL Division Series. That’s a mediocre batting average for a player and awful replay average for an umpire.
Hernandez was overruled on three of four video reviews of his decisions at first base during Boston’s 16-1 rout of the New York Yankees on Monday night.
“There were several very close calls at first base tonight, and we are glad that instant replay allowed the umpiring crew to achieve the proper result on all of them,” Major League Baseball said in a statement.
The Red Sox, Yankees and fans around the country will see plenty of Hernandez on Tuesday night, when he’s scheduled to work the plate in Game 4.
The 57-year-old Hernandez was born in Havana, joined the major league staff in 1993 and worked the World Series in 2002 and 2005. He sued MLB in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati in July 2017, alleging race discrimination and citing his lack of World Series assignments in the past decade and baseball not promoting him to crew chief. The suit alleges MLB chief baseball officer Joe Torre “has a history of animosity towards Hernandez stemming from Torre’s time as manager of the New York Yankees.”
MLB moved to dismiss the case, but U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett transferred it to federal court in Manhattan in Sept. 30 without ruling on the motion to dismiss.
“Angel was horrible,” Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez said on TBS’ postgame show. “Major League Baseball needs to do something about Angel. It doesn’t matter how many times he sues Major League Baseball. He’s as bad as there is. That’s the main reason we’re sitting here so late.”
Hernandez’s troubles started in the second inning, when Didi Gregorius bunted with Giancarlo Stanton on first and the umpire ruled Gregorius beat the throw from pitcher Nathan Eovaldi . The call was overturned, giving New York a runner on second with one out.
When Gleyber Torres hit a three-hopper off the mound in the third with the Yankees trailing 3-0, shortstop Xander Bogaerts gloved the ball, continued onto the second-base side of the dirt and threw to first, when Hernandez signaled safe . That, too, was overturned by the replay room umpires, which include Marvin Hudson, Brian Knight, David Rackley and Bill Welke during the Division Series.
New York trailed 10-0 in the fourth when Luke Voit hit a comebacker off the bare hand of Eovaldi, and Hernandez signaled Voit beat the throw from second baseman Brock Holt for an infield hit . That was upheld by the replay room umpires.
Stanton then singled to put runners at the corners, and Gregorius grounded to Holt. The second baseman made a backhand flip to Bogaerts covering second for a forceout, and Bogaerts threw to first, where Hernandez signaled out for a double play . That led to Hernandez’s third reversal.
Expanded video review in the major leagues began in 2014.
Hernandez has had first-base calls overturned in 14 of 18 video reviews during the last three regular seasons, according to Sports Info Solutions, and his 78 percent overturn rate was above the 60 percent overall figure for first-base calls during that span, the company said.
“The guy’s had a long career and a good career. You know he’s going to get it right,” Voit said. “It happens, man. I mean, so many bang-bang plays consistently. You get it, and you just hope he makes the right calls.”
Former Yankees catcher John Flaherty took issue with Hernandez on the postgame broadcast of the Yankees’ YES Network.
“I think back to the replay of the Luke Voit play at first base, that Angel Hernandez actually got right. And when he came back, next to Voit, he made a little comment to him and smiled a little bit, almost like, you know, ’I got one right,’” Flaherty said. “It’s not that funny, Angel. These are playoff games. These are big deals. And replay bails him out - the play eventually is going to be right. But you got to be thinking at first base, maybe take a little more pride in what you’re doing.”
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AP Sports Writer Jake Seiner contributed to this report.
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