Here We Go

Nothing says “baseball is back” like Angel Hernandez blowing a call during the first inning of his first game of spring training

The good news? Baseball is back, with Grapefruit League games getting underway for a number of teams this past weekend. The bad news? Angel Hernandez, everyone’s least favorite umpire not named Joe West, is back along with it. On Sunday, Hernandez was behind the plate for Cardinals-Nationals, both decked out in red for some retina-melting reason (Tiger?). From there, it didn’t take long for the fireworks to start. Top of the first, one out, 1-1 count, knee-high strike right over the plate. Can you guess how Hernandez called it?

As quick as Hernandez was to blow a call, however, it’s perhaps even more impressive how fast the St. Louis broadcast team jumped all over him. Apparently four months of glorious Hernandez-lessness was not nearly enough to heal years of accrued trauma. Go figure. Making matters even more Hernandez-ish was the fact the Cards and Nats played to a 4-4 tie, a new thing that’s happening now apparently. Try to keep up, people.

But despite the very soccer box score, we can’t think of a more authentic way to begin a new MLB season than Angel Hernandez butchering at-bats while thousands of fans publicly call for his head on a pike. Never change, baseball. Never change.