Once again, a game in which he wasn’t even behind the plate is making baseball fans’ least favorite umpire viral.
When Minnesota’s Byron Buxton came to the plate in the ninth inning with the Twins trailing by a run, Hernandez was the third-base umpire in Texas for the Rangers-Twins game that evening.
A fair ball was bounced down the line by Buxton that went directly over the bag, hit the chalk beyond it, and bounced off Texas’ Josh Smith’s glove. Without an out, Buxton would have likely doubled and been the tying run at second base.
But Hernandez referred to it as a foul ball.
Smith appeared to be screening Hernandez, as his body obscured Hernandez’s field of vision. Even so, there must have been some frustration on the part of Buxton and the Twins given that Major League Baseball forbids teams from contesting such calls.
Later, Buxton struck out, and the Twins could not mount a comeback, falling 6-5.
It’s possible to pardon other umpires for the infraction. Hernandez, a veteran umpire who has come to symbolize the irate fans and bad calls, rarely receives a pass.
