Hernandez said that if a player like Acuña is killing you, you got to hit him or knock him downGETTY IMAGES
Braves LF Ronald Acuña Jr. last night against the Marlins was hit with the first pitch of the game after leading off the previous three games with home runs, and SNY's Keith Hernandez gave a "typical old-school baseball take" on the move, according to Eric Barrow of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Hernandez, who was in the booth for SNY's Mets-Orioles broadcast last night, said, "You got a guy out there who's killing you, you've lost three games, he's hit three home runs, you got to hit him, I'm sorry." He added, "You got to hit him or knock him down. And I mean seriously knock him down if you don't hit him." Many took to social media to "blast Hernandez" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/16). YAHOO SPORTS' Mark Townsend noted Hernandez "tried to soften his take by saying a pitch should never be thrown at the head or neck area, but he's still well off the mark" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/15).
TIME TO STOP: ESPN’s Mina Kimes called Hernandez' comments "absurd." Kimes: "His comments show, and players’ reactions show, that this isn’t going to leave baseball. You feel like maybe this next generation, they’ll stop. They won’t stop, because it keeps getting handed down. The only way to get rid of this is if the league steps in and punishes these guys and sends a strong, clear message because it’s not going to go away on its own” (“Get Up!,” ESPN, 8/16). AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Andrew Bucholtz writes it will be "interesting to see if there's any fallout from this, including perhaps a recantation or apology, or if Hernandez will stick to his guns" (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 8/16). WFAN’s Gregg Giannotti said Acuña was "getting hit because he was being successful." Giannotti: "I love Keith. He’s one of my favorite guys in baseball, favorite guys in sports. I just think he was dead wrong about this” (“Boomer & Gio,” WFAN, 8/16). ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said of Hernandez, “I’m ashamed of his comments. It’s relatively weak, it’s not competitive and it speaks to why baseball has a problem attracting itself with the younger demographic.” ESPN’s Max Kellerman: “This is the problem baseball finds itself in. A lot of its appeal is rooted in tradition and yet, it finds itself in a changing world. … Keith Hernandez got it wrong” (“First Take,” ESPN, 8/16).
POOR FORM, KEITH: The N.Y. Post's Mike Vaccaro tweeted, "I've never been shy about how much I enjoy Keith Hernandez, and much of that is thanks to his grouchy old-school persona. But, man, that was one awful take tonight on Urena/Acuna." ESPN's Buster Olney: "He played in an era when a struggling pitcher was expected to shake things up by drilling a batter, or when a hot hitter might get thrown at just because he was hot. I hope the sport has evolved forward from that, as it has with the use of helmets/etc. Just absurd." Atlanta-based WCNN-AM's John Kincade: "Keith Hernandez with the definition of why baseball hadn't aged well. Old dusty unwritten rules of baseball. #jackassery." Braves P Peter Moylan: "This is next level bullshit!!!! This kid is playing the game with joy and needs to be hurt for being great. You are a clown @keithhernandez." The Athletic's Jeff Schultz: "Keith Hernandez said this because Keith Hernandez is an idiot." Atlanta-based WSB-ABC's Zach Klein: "That's the dumbest #^@^*@ I've heard." MLB Network's Brian Kenny: "Hernandez isn't some Neanderthal, he's from the 80's, when animals ran free." Cleveland-based WKRK-FM's Mike Bormann: "I may no longer be able to support Keith Hernandez as a Top 15 Seinfeld episode after his asinine response to the Urena-Acuna debacle."
