Keith Hernandez wants MLB ‘hung to the highest oak tree’ over Mets schedule

The New York Mets have suffered through a difficult travel schedule this season, and Keith Hernandez wants Major League Baseball to pay the ultimate price for it.

The Mets capped their latest West Coast trip with a win over the San Diego Padres Sunday afternoon. It was their fourth and final West Coast trip of the season, a grueling schedule to endure during the first 65 games of the season. In total, the Mets have played 22 of their first 65 games in the Pacific and Mountain time zones. And for that, Keith Hernandez believes MLB should be punished.

“Four trips to the West Coast,” Hernandez noted in disgust during the Mets Saturday night game in San Diego. “MLB, they should be hung to the highest oak tree for that kind of schedule for the Mets. It’s really just a difficult schedule. Here we are, the first week of June and they’ve been to the West Coast four times.”

During a recent appearance on the Sources Tell Jeff Passan podcast, Hernandez said, “I like to walk the razor’s edge where if I say something, it can be taken this way, or it can be taken that way, but if you get me in court, you can’t convict me.” But this one could only be taken as a pretty strong shot at Major League Baseball.

Hung to the highest oak tree might be extreme, but Hernandez is right in noting MLB did the Mets no favors by sending them across the country in four of their first five road trips this season. Steve Gelbs, who was calling the game alongside Hernandez on SNY, added that the Mets have played every NL West team and two AL West teams this season before they’ve had a game against the Atlanta Braves or Philadelphia Phillies.

But while Hernandez and others have sympathized with the Mets for their tough travel schedule, one person who won’t is Daniel Murphy. Filling in for Hernandez and Darling on SNY last week, Murphy alleged the road trips shouldn’t negatively impact the Mets this season because travel is made easy for modern-day athletes.

The Mets have one trip to Texas left in September, and no start times later than 8:10pm ET for the remainder of the season. If they’re able to turn their season around, maybe there is something to the four West Coast trips being a hinderance. But if the Mets continue to flounder, Hernandez should help MLB down from that oak tree.