It’s a good thing for Keith Hernandez the Mets don’t travel to Atlanta anymore this season.
Hernandez, the former Mets first baseman and current SNY game analyst, struck the wrong chord with the Braves faithful Wednesday night when he endorsed the Marlins beaning red-hot rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. in the bottom of the first inning. Acuna, holding his elbow in obvious pain while both benches cleared and two were ejected during the Braves’ 5-2 win, wound up leaving the game in the top of the second for further evaluation.
A teammate of Acuna and a Braves legend each took issue with Hernandez on Twitter after the longtime announcer said of Acuna, who had hit leadoff home runs in three straight games coming into Wednesday, “You got to hit him, knock him down.”
“This is just next level bulls–t!!!” Braves reliever Peter Moylan responded to a clip of Hernandez’s commentary. “The kid is playing the game with joy and needs to be hurt for being great. You are a clown @keithhernandez.”
Former Braves star Chipper Jones, inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame this year in his first year of eligibility, turned the argument back on Hernandez and the Mets, pondering how the NL East rivals would feel if their best pitcher, Jacob deGrom, received the same treatment.
“So by this way of thinking, Jacob deGrom should get drilled cuz he’s the hottest pitcher on the planet?” Jones wrote on Twitter. “NO! I Enjoy watching him pitch and I enjoy watching RAJ play the game. I’m old school just like this broadcaster, but these comments are waaay off base!”
Hernandez came under immediate fire Wednesday night. During the sixth inning of the Mets-Orioles broadcast, the 64-year-old explained to play-by-play man Wayne Randazzo why he believed it was fair for Marlins starter Jose Urena to hit Acuna with his first pitch.
“They’re killing you. You lost three games. He’s hit three home runs. You got to hit him,” Hernandez said. “I’m sorry, people aren’t going to like that. You know, you got to hit him, knock him down. I mean, seriously knock him down if you don’t hit him. You never throw at anybody’s head or neck.
“You hit him in the back. You hit him in the fanny.”
The Braves felt strongly the plunking was unjustified. Manager Brian Snitker, who was ejected along with Urena following the brawl, expressed his disappointment in Urena’s actions after the game.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever felt like that in a baseball game before. It’s just my emotion,” Snitker told reporters. “That kid didn’t deserve that. There’s just no reason for a young man to be hit like that when all he’s doing is playing the game.”
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