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Sabathia rips ump Hernandez: 'He shouldn't be anywhere near a playoff game'

Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty

It's safe to say that Angel Hernandez and CC Sabathia won't be exchanging Christmas cards.

Sabathia started Game 4 of the ALDS for the New York Yankees on Monday, and Hernandez, the veteran umpire whose work yet again came under scrutiny following a particularly rough performance working first base in Game 3, was behind the plate calling balls and strikes. This did not appear to please Sabathia, who had a notable run-in with Hernandez back in April when he yelled at the umpire to "call f---ing strikes."

After striking out only one batter during his three innings of work on Tuesday, the 38-year-old left-hander again sounded off on Hernandez's work, taking a moment out of his postgame press conference to blast the veteran.

"I don't think Angel Hernandez should be umpiring playoff games," Sabathia told reporters, according to Jack Dickey of Sports Illustrated. "He's absolutely terrible. He was terrible behind the plate today; he's terrible at first base. It's amazing how he's getting a job to umpire in these playoff games. He shouldn't be anywhere near a playoff game."

When asked if Hernandez's strike zone was bad on Tuesday, Sabathia replied: "Always. Always. He's bad. I don't understand why he's doing those games. It's just sad that he's doing these games. It's crazy."

Despite his criticism, Sabathia did make it clear that he didn't think Hernandez was the difference in Tuesday's game, according to ESPN's Coley Harvey.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello, who started opposite Sabathia in Game 4, didn't quite see eye-to-eye with his counterpart.

"Throw the ball over the plate CC," Porcello told James Wagner of the New York Times. "I thought Angel Hernandez called a good game. You gotta put the ball over the white part of the plate and then you get the strikes called."

Hernandez came under fire during Monday's game when he had three of his calls overturned by MLB's replay review. Following Game 3, the league released a statement that didn't explicitly defend Hernandez but lauded the replay system for getting the calls correct.

This is far from the first time that Hernandez has drawn the public ire of players. Last season, veteran second baseman Ian Kinsler, who was then a member of the Detroit Tigers and now plays for the Red Sox, was fined after stating that Hernandez "needs to find another job" following a particularly contentious ejection.

Hernandez is currently suing MLB for what he claims is racial discrimination after he was passed over for past postseason and All-Star Game assignments.

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