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Re: Galarraga robbed of perfect game
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_le … mlb,245292
It was a bang-bang play that left two victims dead.
The first was the masterful perfect game bid of Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga(notes).
The second was the reputation of Major League umpire Jim Joyce.
Galarraga will likely move on with his major league career with the stinging Harvey Haddix-type knowledge that only one of the worst blown calls in baseball history prevented him from becoming the 21st pitcher to throw a perfect game '” and, even more incredibly '” the third perfecto this season and second in four nights.
You can't say the same for Joyce, a 23-year veteran who coupled his name with Don Denkinger when he inexplicably called Cleveland's Jason Donald(notes) safe at first with an infield hit. Replays clearly showed that Galarraga's foot beat Donald to the bag by a full step and Tigers manager Jim Leyland chewed Joyce out '” deservedly so '” both directly after the play and right after Galarraga retired the next Indians batter for what basically amounted to a 28-out perfect game.
Unreal.
It's not hard to see why Joyce's Wikipedia page was vandalized within seconds or why FireJimJoyce.com sprung up soon after that.
Galarraga was cooler than you or I might have been, but even Joyce knew he screwed up big time.
"I just cost that kid a perfect game," Joyce said afterward. "I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay."
'I don'™t blame them a bit or anything that was said. I would'™ve said it myself if I had been Galarraga. I would'™ve been the first person in my face, and he never said a word to me.�
Joyce is only human and you can bet that this call will spur another heated debate over expanded instant replay in baseball that might actually go somewhere. (It should.)
Joyce will also get plenty of rightful criticism over why he was ruling such a close play safe considering the circumstances. Yes, tie does go to the runner ... except when there is no actual tie and there's a perfect game on the line.
But what's done is done and Joyce's latest black eye for his profession prevented the following from occurring:
'¢ Fewest pitches (88) in a perfect game since Addie Joss' 74 in 1908
'¢ Shortest perfect game (1:44) since Koufax's 1:43 in 1965
'¢ The third perfect game in the 2010s, which would have put them one behind the 1990s for most perfect games thrown in a decade '” one year into it.
Don Denkinger? You have company.
Has anyone else seen this yet? I was watching it live and probably woke up the entire block yelling at my TV.
Re: Galarraga robbed of perfect game
The Marlins guys informed me of it, and I immediately flipped over to the Tigers game.
I couldn't believe it either. So apparently out. Perfect game - INTACT.
This isn't the first time that Jim Joyce has made horrible games. The amazing thing is, the last several days, MLB has been plagued by horrible calls by umps. Like a cluster of 'em. It gets incredibly old, when a manager screws up, he's fired, when a player screws up, he's demoted to the minors, when an ump screws up and destroys the outcome of a historical game event, he's back THE NEXT DAY calling the game.
It's bullshit. There needs to be massively tougher regulations on it, or otherwise one day, one of these players is gonna flip on one of these guys and it ain't gonna be pretty.
MLB is already using instant replay for home runs. I wouldn't be shocked, with the computer advancements, and the continued decline and dated approach of umpires, that if in 20 years, computers called everything in the game to a precise accuracy.
Re: Galarraga robbed of perfect game
Even aside from this, Bud Selig is the worst comissioner in sports (All Star game determines home field advantage?? Absurd. Fauz outrage ver steroid controversy) but he should just override the rules here and do the right thing. It was he last play of the game, the ump has apologized & must feel terrible. It won't effect many stats aside from the one batters hit. Call it an out, put itin the record books and everyones happy.
Rules/Schmules.
Re: Galarraga robbed of perfect game
Yeah, I do kind of feel sorry for the ump. He's human, he made a mistake, and he regrets it. You can't take it back it, once the call is made. In his defense, it was kind of a close play because the ball was not caught cleanly. Doesn't excuse him or change the fact that he made the wrong call though.
Galaraga handled it with total class afterwards, saying it was no big deal.
