When Lance Lynn returned to the St. Louis Cardinals during the offseason, he probably didn’t envision it starting quite like this. The pitcher was with St. Louis from 2011-2017 and re-signed with the club as a free agent for 2024. Unfortunately, he didn’t receive a warm welcome back from umpire Angel Hernandez.
The veteran Lynn, 36, got into a bit of a shouting match with the infamous on-field arbiter, known for his quick temper and even quicker hook. He’s also often identified as possibly the ‘worst umpire in MLB history’.
Hernandez and Lynn had two verbal exchanges during the Cardinals’ game on Friday against the Washington Nationals. Eventually, Hernandez stepped from behind the plate and ran Lynn from the mound in the third inning of the Redbirds’ 7-6 victory. In a spring training game, no less.
Pitcher vs. Umpire
In the third inning, Lynn was on the way to finishing up his last inning of scheduled work when he was shown the exit.
As MLB.com writer John Denton wrote on X, Lance Lynn said Angel Hernández “started chirping at the [Cardinals] dugout and I told him, ‘They know it was a strike.’ He told me, ‘Let’s go!’ And I told him, ‘I have five seconds on the pitch clock and I’ll start whenever I feel like it.’”
“I threw the next pitch and I was like, ‘There’s a strike’,” Lynn explained. “And then it was ‘see you later.’”
In the aftermath, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was also ejected from the game by Hernandez.
The oft-maligned Angel Hernandez finished the 2023 regular season as the lowest-rated umpire in baseball. Umpire Auditor, which tracks missed calls by officials throughout the season, issued the report. The 62-year-old Hernández missed over half of the 2023 season due to back surgery, but still managed to have a few dustups with some players (notably the Philadelphia Phillies‘ Bryce Harper) when he returned. He has been an MLB umpire since 1993.
Lance Lynn vs. Angel Hernandez, Round Two
Unfortunately, it didn’t end there between Angel Hernandez and Lance Lynn, as the pitcher was (at least, somewhat) ejected a second time in the game. At that point, the pitcher walked slowly and deliberately across the field, eventually waving to the crowd before hitting the showers.
In an almost slapstick turn of events, Lynn then made his way down to the St. Louis bullpen to try and get in some extra work as the game played on. That’s when Hernandez stepped in and threw him off the Cards’ sideline as well. It was something many baseball experts agreed they had never quite seen before in any game – much less one taking place during spring training.
Before his untimely exit, Lance Lynn allowed four runs on three hits with two strikeouts and three walks in two innings of work.
During the offseason, the 36-year-old right-hander signed a guaranteed $11 million as part of a one-year deal, with a $10 million team option for 2025 that includes a $1 million buyout. Since leaving the Cardinals originally in 2017, he has pitched for five teams over the past six seasons.
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