For better or worse, Angel Hernandez is essential to the baseball season.
The contentious umpire had another bad moment behind the plate, and this one did not sit well with the Rangers broadcasters on Bally Sports Southwest during Texas’ 12-8 victory against the rival Astros.
The defending World Series champions pounced on the Astros, taking an 8-1 lead in the top of the fourth after Texas loaded the bases for rookie Wyatt Langford.
But then, Hernandez struck.
He called an obvious 2-0 cutter a strike despite it being outside the zone.
Astros pitcher J.P. France then threw nearly the exact same pitch in the same spot — twice — to set the Rangers’ booth off.
You have got to be kidding me!” Rangers Bally Sports Southwest play-by-play announcer Dave Raymond. “What in the world?!”
“This is just bad,” analyst Dave Valle said. “Three consecutive pitches well off the plate.
That’s just so obvious. That was terrible.”
It’s not even Hernandez’s only controversy within the last week.
He was also at the center of a contentious strike call against Gleyber Torres in Sunday’s Yankees-Blue Jays game, but it had little impact on the outcome, as the Bronx Bombers won 8-3.
He also had a previous blunder last week in a game between the Mets and Tigers in a call that included Detroit’s Spencer Torkelson, whom Hernandez claimed swung the bat when it appeared he was heat — and in fact seemed to have been hit on the hand.
Hernandez’s calls had little impact on the Rangers’ Friday night victory, despite the Astros’ late push of five runs in the seventh inning.
The Rangers advanced to 8-6 on the season, dropping the struggling Astros to 4-11.
