MLB praises replay system after Hernandez's 3 overturned calls
Angel Hernandez's rough night at the office led Major League Baseball to publicly address the state of its replay system following Monday's playoff action.
The veteran umpire worked first base during Game 3 of the ALDS between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and became the subject of intense scrutiny on social media during the early stages of the contest. By the end of the fourth inning, three of Hernandez's calls had been deemed incorrect and were overturned on instant replay. A fourth play was challenged, but his ruling was upheld following the review.
Hernandez declined requests to talk to the media about his rough evening following Monday's game. Instead, MLB released a statement that praised the work of its instant replay system, though Hernandez was not specifically mentioned by name.
"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," MLB said in the statement, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
Hernandez is no stranger to controversy regarding his work as an umpire. In addition to receiving regular criticism from fans and media, he has often been a public target for players who have been frustrated by his calls.
This season alone, Hernandez has been the target of criticism from Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, the latter of whom yelled at Hernandez to "call f---ing strikes" during a start in April. Last year, veteran Ian Kinsler - then with the Detroit Tigers - was fined after stating that Hernandez "needs to find another job" following a particularly heated ejection.
Hernandez, a Cuban-American, also made news last year when he filed a lawsuit alleging that MLB had racially discriminated against him by not giving him postseason and All-Star Game assignments.
The 57-year-old is in his 28th year as a major-league umpire. This ALDS marks the 10th time he's umpired a Division Series and his 20th career postseason assignment.