Fans, and even some writers, tend to jump on umpires when they make bad calls, but rarely if ever point out when they make good calls on tough plays. Angel Hernandez is one of those umpires who gets a lot of flack -- and I may suggest even deservedly so -- but in the interest of giving credit where credit is due, he made a great call on a very tough play during Thursday afternoon’s game between the Phillies and Marlins.
With a runner on first base and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Phillies leading 2-1, first baseman Brock Stassi laced an Edison Volquez pitch down the first base line. Michael Saunders, who was on first base, came around third base and attempted to score. The relay throw from second baseman Dee Gordon beat Saunders, but Saunders slid expertly to the back of home plate, avoiding the tag from catcher J.T. Realmuto just long enough to slip his hand in and touch the plate. Hernandez ruled Stassi safe with no hesitation because he was in a great position to get a look at the play. In real time, it was a bang-bang play. The Marlins didn’t challenge the call.
The MLB.com video doesn’t have the best angle, but still shows what a close call it was in real time. This .gif from Meghan Montemurro of The News Journal provides the best angle:
What a great slide by Saunders. Looked like he was going to be out by a mile on relay throw. A well-executed move into home plate: pic.twitter.com/qh7zjHMUWP
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) April 27, 2017
Hernandez also made this nonchalant grab of Andrew Knapp’s face mask when the catcher tossed it attempting to catch a foul pop-up:
[mlbvideo id="1328573083" width="600" height="336" /]
