Angels' bummer of a weekend saved by umpire that went viral for hilarious shirt

While there was some hope the Los Angeles Angels could make things interesting this past weekend, the reality is that they had a really tough test with the Braves. Atlanta desperately needed a series win to maintain their position in the NL wild card race, and while the injury bug bit them again, the Angels ultimately lost two out of three as the offense didn't really show up.

However, an unexpected wrinkle in the proceedings came from an even more unlikely source during Saturday's game.

Umpire James Hoye first made an unbelievable call when he correctly ruled that the Braves' Whit Merrifield had hit a home run when his drive struck an impossibly small padded post above the wall.

However, everyone stopped caring about that when Hoye was announcing the confirmation of the call and it was revealed he was wearing a Cosmo Kramer shirt under his umpiring uniform.

LA Angels News: Umpire's Seinfeld shirt reveal went viral over the weekend

Hat tip to the Angels' broadcast booth for catching this in real time as it was an incredibly funny moment. Wayne Randazzo was the one to notice the shirt as Hoye apparently needed to unbutton his shirt to get mic'd up for the stadium to hear him. Mark Gubizca confirmed it and hilarity ensued.

It is honestly nice to have some news involving MLB umpires that doesn't focus on a bizarre controversy or a blown a call at a crucial point of a game. At the end of the day, umpires are human beings. While that won't stop fans from berating them incessantly when they screw up, adding some character to them can help lessen the criticism.

One thing to think about here, though, is how well Hoye's shirt would have been received if he and the rest of his crew had actually blown the call. That would have certainly worked out better for the Angels, but baseball fans at large may have been robbed of this little gem of a moment along the way.

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