Umpire Angel Hernandez and Crew Toss Four Players and Two Managers in Cubs-Reds Affair

Saturday night in game two of a doubleheader between the Reds and Cubs, umpire and crew chief Angel Hernandez and his mates took over, leading to four player and two manager ejections in a matter of what seemed to be seconds after benches cleared following an incident with Cubs first basemen Anthony Rizzo a half inning prior in which a ball was thrown over Rizzo's head.

Major League Baseball umpire Angel Hernandez was once called “as bad as there is” by Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez after a 2018 playoff game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

Hernandez is well known in umpire circles for his antics as maybe the worst the game has to offer in umpiring, and Saturday night he once again proved that if you see his name on the chart to umpire a game of your favorite team - it could be a long and frustrating night.

The latest incident for Hernandez took place during Saturday evening’s game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds, a game in which he was the crew chief for.

Hernandez's fellow umpire - Dan Bellino - had about the quickest trigger finger in the history of the game in the fourth inning of the second game of the doubleheader between the two rivals, ejecting four players in what seemed to be about 10 seconds.

The incident that led to the ejections came when a pitch was thrown over the head of Cubs first basemen Anthony Rizzo.

Cubs skipper David Ross and a second part of the team’s coaching staff were tossed in the top of the 4th inning for complaining about the incident with Rizzo.

At that point, Cubs pitcher Adbert Alzolay decided to return the favor, as he threw a pitch over the helmet of Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama.

Benches emptied, and that’s when Hernandez and his crew stepped in. He quickly tossed Reds sluggers Joey Votto and Jesse Winker for trying to get to Rizzo, who seemed to chirp something at the Cubs dugout.

Reds manager David Bell was tossed as well, as Hernandez seemed to delight in tossing players and both managers - the first time in a 2020 game that both managers were tossed in the same game.

Fire Angel Hernandez and Anthony Rizzo into the sun pic.twitter.com/IP9KCJC1mE

— ATBBTTR (@ATBBTTR) August 30, 2020

If you know the reputation of Hernandez, none of this should come as a shock, as he’s been in headlines in the past for his actions which included suing Major League Baseball in 2017 for alleging racial discrimination.

He claimed the discrimination led to him being overlooked for the World Series as well as promotions to crew chief.

Hernandez also has a long running feud with former Yankees manager Joe Torre, who is now in the front office as the game’s chief baseball officer.

Hey @MLB this Reds/Cubs situation is entirely caused by the Umps. You have a big officiating issue. Angel Hernandez myst be fired. This is an embarrassment for the entire league.

— Lilly Trunnell (@lillytrunnell) August 30, 2020

It remains to be seen if MLB is going to come down on Hernandez for Saturday’s outlandish display, or if they will stand by their umpire who continues to cement his spot as one of the worst in the game.