Galarraga and Griffey
Posted by Andy on June 2, 2010
Wow, I step away from the computer for a couple of hours and we get two of the biggest baseball stories of the year.
Armando Galarraga was brutally robbed of a perfect game by a blown call by Jim Joyce at first base. I am a guy who usually sides with the umpires in baseball because I think they make thousands upon thousands of correct calls that the average fan would get wrong, but I am utterly shocked at a blown call of that nature (i.e. right in front of a perfectly-positioned ump) in that situation. Also, had the call been made correctly, Austin Jackson's monumental once-in-a-decade catch would go down as one of the greatest defensive plays in the history of baseball.
And so, the retirement of one of the greatest centerfielders of all time takes back seat to an even bigger story. These days, it's easy to forget the impact that Griffey had on the game. As a rookie in 1989 he was a favorite across baseball. Before McGwire and Sosa took center stage in 1998, Griffey was the pre-eminent power hitter in baseball and he averaged more than 50 HR over the 4 seasons from 1996 to 1999. Throw in excellent defensive abilities (in both flashy plays and fielding runs for the first half of his career) and this guy was an all-around stud. After 22 years, Griffey can now nod off to as long a guilt-free nap as he likes.
Side note: can you imagine if we had had 3 perfect games in the first 2 months of the season? Just having 2 already this year is amazing and tonight's game was as close as you can get.
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:07 pm
An open letter to the President of the American League and the Comissioner of Baseball:
I have loved baseball my entire, rather long life.
The League President and the Commissioner, for the integrity of the game, have a duty and responsibility to reverse the call. Fix it. Get it right.
It is sufficiently clear. Statistics regarding the 28th batter can be reversed out.
A concept such as “we don’t change calls after the fact” holds no water in these rather unique circumstances. Fix it. Get it right.
There is the concept of a protested game, when the actual outcome of a game can be reversed after the fact. By the League President.
There is the concpt of “thrown games,” when the Comissioner can do as he sees fit to fix things, to get them right.
That is what leadership is about. To do otherwise is simply pigheaded stubborness. Do not hide behind the skirts of the law.
Put an asterisk in the Rulebook under your unilateral authority for the integrity of the game: Replay can be used when the call for the 27th out of a Perfect Game is in dispute.
Gentlemen, fix it. Get it right.
Thank you.
PS: I could not find an e-mail addy for them on mlb.com, so I will try this.
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:42 pm
You would think that a call of such magnitude (21st Perfect Game in the history of Baseball) , a Historic event , c'mon guys , make it right.
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:46 pm
“we don’t change calls after the fact”
That's nonsense. They've reversed calls before. Remember the Pine-Tar home run was ruled an out until Major League Baseball stepped up and said that George Brett wasn't out, it was a home run and that they had to resume and finish the game.
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Who are "we" Jer ???? are you a "blue" ? ...who wouldn't want to make things right?
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Has anyone noticed that one of the greatest players in history {Griffey, of course} retired PRECISELY 75 years to the day after another {Ruth} called it quits?
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:55 pm
he was out by two feet !!!!!!!
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Miguel Cabrera, from the looks of the similarity scores of Griffey Jr.'s youth to Miguel's, is the next Junior.
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:07 pm
It ain't historic if it happened twice already this year.
Now if it had been the first one this year? Yeah! At this point you expect a perfect game every game...boring
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:13 pm
I remember seeing Galarraga's line after two innings during an ESPN game-break thing. The thought flashed through my head - "He's going to throw a perfect game." I blame myself entirely for this brutal injustice. I jinxed it.
Bud Selig, get this damn call right.
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:27 pm
You're talking out of your ass Dave , in case you haven't realized , this is an adult site , all whiners , babies should be in bed .
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Galarraga only tossed 88 pitches! Had that out been made he would have tossed probably only 85 (didn't see the last out numbers), but that has to be one of the lowest pitch counts for a perfect game, if he got it.
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Well, there's nothing anyone can do about the call now, but perhaps this will lead to allowing instant replay to be used for plays other than home runs. Maybe there could be a rule for using it in "game-changing" situations, such as a play at the plate that could end the game, or, of course, something like tonight, when it doesn't change the outcome of the game, but is still an extremely significant.
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:43 pm
Oops.
"...still an extremely significant" play.
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:44 pm
This makes Don Denkinger's blown call seem almost reasonable. Denkinger's play was much closer than this one.
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Was at a game where Galarraga (against the Royals) was perfect through 6. How many times a guy go perfect through 6 once and through 8 another.
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:01 pm
it is crazy how this would have been 3 perfect games in a season, when there hadn't been two thrown since the 1880's.
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:30 pm
/
It's too bad Joyce missed the call but everyone has acted with great integrity.This game has error but we learn how to deal with it,and to me 30 years from now i'll remember galarraga pitched the best game not considered perfect. And in the end i'll remember this more than Mike Witt's.
P.S. Don't forget about pedro martinez.
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Don't you dare call this a non-perfect game.
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:47 pm
@ #11:
David Cone also threw just 88 pitches in his perfect game vs. Montreal on 7/18/99...
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199907180.shtml
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:59 pm
It's been tough to be an Indians fan this year. This just about put the icing on that crap cake (and it's only June 2nd). I'll get to my opinion on the call in a minute, but regardless of that, they sent 28 men to the plate and only saw 88 pitches (67 for strikes). And it's not like he was mowing them down, it was one batter after another swinging early and either popping up or grounding out. If you're not going to get a hit (a legitimate hit), you should at least make the pitcher work. This was just a sad display, and a complete waste of another fine performance from Carmona.
So I was listening to the game with some other Indians fans during the 8th inning (listening to baseball on the radio still happens apparently). As I checked on who would be batting in the ninth, I assured everyone that they'd be getting a hit and it would probably be an infield single by Donald. Apparently I jinxed Gallaraga. As for the call, Jason Donald is a fast guy, and watching it in real time it seems pretty close. Slow motion shows it was a bad call and he was out by 2 feet, but 2 feet in real time is a fraction of a second. So I'm a bit torn...on the one hand I'm glad my team didn't get completely embarrassed, on the other hand I feel really, really bad that Gallaraga got robbed, and let's face it, this is going to be a long season of embarrassments.
As for the aftermath, it sucks, but we're all going to have to just deal with it.
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:19 am
What would be the point of reversing the call by now? Part of the magic of a perfect game is the celebration at the moment it's over...you've done it. Sure, in the record books you've achieved something historic, but if someone was to tell you two or three days later that the call was reversed, I doubt the impact would be the same.
Joyce blew the call and with it, the chance for a great moment in Galarraga's career and life. It's a shame.
The best outcome would be for MLB to learn from their mistakes. Extend the use of instant replay for more than home runs. How awful has umpiring been this year? It's time to make use of the technology at hand. Joyce admitted he got the call wrong after he watched it. Had instant replay been available to review the play, Galarraga would have gone down in history and no one would even remember who the umpire was.
No one probably took much notice, but there was another awful call in the Tampa Bay/Toronto game tonight where the umps called Sean Rodriguez out for missing third base while the replay showed he clearly touched the base. In the end, Toronto's joke of a bullpen rendered the missed call pointless, but costing a team a run directly because of a blown call that could easily be overturned has to stop.
By the way...to the earlier post that claimed it was a tough, fraction of a second call. NO WAY. I watched it in real time on TV and it was as clear as day that he was out. I'm not a Tigers fan or an Indians fan, so I don't have emotion to cloud my opinion. Just my two eyes which saw perfectly that he was out.
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:42 am
It ain't historic if it happened twice already this year.
I'm sorry Dave -- that's preposterous. That's like saying 50 years from now "well, it happened 30 times, so what's the big deal?" This would have been one of the most historically significant moments in baseball history. The fact that it happened twice this year was already unfounded. Three times would have meant the rarest of the rare of the rare. Not only would it have been the only time in baseball history that three perfect games were recorded in the same season (this season also marks the only time two have been recorded), it would have meant two in less than a week, and three in less than a month! Chances are you will go more than a hundred years before anything like that ever happens again.
What would be the point of reversing the call by now? Part of the magic of a perfect game is the celebration at the moment it's over...you've done it. Sure, in the record books you've achieved something historic, but if someone was to tell you two or three days later that the call was reversed, I doubt the impact would be the same.
Mr. Sparkle --- while I agree with the rest of what you say, I would contest that it would matter if they were to make an unprecedented decision for an unprecedented circumstance, reverse the decision, and award Galarraga the perfect game. Yes, indeed, some of the magic of the celebration would be lost, but I assure you it would make that kids day. Everyone - from ESPN analysts, to the Indians broadcasters, to experts on the game far and wide, agree that this is something like they've never seen, and Galarraga was outright robbed. If Joyce can admit he's wrong, then why can't MLB? That would be monumental in itself. Everyone knows Galarraga pitched a perfect game (plus 1!), so why not award him the official nod in the record books - wherein he also has a permanent place in the Hall of Fame?
It would mean the world to me in that it would restore some of my faith in the rather stubborn and defunct administrative tendencies of MLB, and I'm sure it would to the pitcher who earned the distinction. We all know he earned it, but future generations will not see his name on that relatively short list of pitchers who also made "official" history.
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:30 am
Dale's got it just right!
You don't change a call, just because you don't like it. You can argue when there is a rules violation (pine tar, batting out of order, etc.), but safe/out calls, just like balls and strikes, are generally not reversable.
What's next? Take away K.C.'s World Series Championship because of Don Denkinger's bad call?
Come to think of it, J.C. Martin was running inside the base line going to first on a sacrifice bunt when the throw by the catcher hit him and caromed away, in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game Four of the '69 Series. Rod Gaspar scored the winner on the play, and the Mets went up, three games to one.
Martin should have been called out, the play ruled dead. Gaspar should be sent back to second. Change it. Maybe Baltimore doesn't really lose the Series, after all.
And we all saw that lame call at the plate in the 1970 Series. Reverse it!
I have to tip my cap to Joyce, for being man enough to come out and apologize to the kid for blowing the call. He was properly remorseful and showed sincere regret at costing Galarraga his shot at baseball immortality.
Give him credit for admitting his mistake and feeling bad about it.
Beats the Hell out of walking away, saying "That's baseball."
By the way, the M's win last night was pretty questionable (I admit this, as a Mariners' fan), with that call at second base.
I'd like to see all the calls made correctly. But I realize that umpires are human beings. If you want to start somewhere, though, let's try balls and strikes.
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:35 am
Actually it's the best perfect game ever ...... a 28 out perfect game !!!
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:07 am
The ump blew the Galarraga call because of the way those calls are made. Umps can't watch the catch and the runner at the same time so they watch the bag and listen for the pop of the ball hitting the glove. Usually works great. Problem this time, I think, is the catch was the ultimate snow-cone. Right in the very end of the webbing. So, no pop sound to hear. Nevertheless, still a bad call - it was close, but there are a lot closer calls, just about every day.
June 3rd, 2010 at 6:02 am
Let's add some fuel to the flames here.
What would the outcry be if this was Phil Hughes or CC Sabathia in Yankee Stadium against the Red Sox, on the ESPN Sunday Night game and Jim Joyce stole a perfect game from him under these circumstances?
What would MLB do in that case?
June 3rd, 2010 at 7:21 am
Man, that's a really good point bill. I find it difficult to think that they wouldn't strongly consider overturning the decision - and the outcry would be at least triple what we're seeing for this, and wouldn't fade as quickly as this might.
Jeff -- What your saying essentially sounds to me like the "traditionalist" argument grounded in the "human element" of the game. Umpires are human, we're all human, we all make mistakes - and that's all well and good. I just feel that this is such a unique circumstance because it was undoubtedly the last out of the game. If the umpire can do the correct "human" thing and admit his mistake, then why can't MLB follow that with admitting, in every sense of "human," that a major mistake was made, make it right by crediting Galarraga appropriately in the record books, and open up the discussion moving forward about how to use discretionary replay in situations like this? I don't see who it hurts, especially because it doe not change the outcome or the score or anything else -- maybe even get the Indians to consent to the change, and perhaps even get Jason Donald to sign off on it.
I just think there are critical moments that change the paradigm of how we understand and talk about the game, and this is clearly one of them. If it does turn out that this pivotal bad decision leads to expanded use of instant replay, then why not start with using it to officially review this particular call and make it right?
Beyond that, I still can not comprehend why Joyce did not err on possibly making the "wrong call" the other way. It's a bang-bang play and I would think he had to know the circumstances and the situation. If he calls Donald out there, even if he was safe by half a step, no one would have given him hell about it - not Donald, not the Indians base coach, not anyone from the Cleveland bench, not the announcers, not ESPN, not MLB officials, and so on.
June 3rd, 2010 at 7:27 am
The thing that strikes me is the look on Donald's face after Joyce called him safe. He obviously knew he was out, and with his hands on his helmet, he had the look of "What have I done?"
You can't reverse the call. MLB has to learn from it. The bottom line is everyone is human and makes mistakes, and the way the Tigers (rightfully angry at first) from Leyland to Galarraga to even Jim Joyce, handled it with class, makes baseball the great game it is.
June 3rd, 2010 at 8:30 am
Denkinger's call was much more egregious in that it cost the Cards the WS! Sure, they had their chance to win the next night, but still. This blown call cost the Tigers nothing. This is part of baseball...let's get over it. I wonder how many times something like this happened in the days before every movement was on tape? Could the PI sort games where a perfect game was lost with the 27th batter? If so, I wonder how many of them were "close" calls? Move on, ladies and gents. I'm sure this has happened before and some buried pitcher (or 2 or 3) now has company.
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:42 am
During an awkward, hard, nearly impossible set of circumstances. I've never seen an organization, an umpire and the player involved (Galarraga), act so classy and professional. The way Galarraga acted should become the standard for sportsmanship.
Milton Bradley (amongst others) literally fights with umpires and sportscasters over forgettable and insignificant plays. Galarraga's actions, demeanor and behavior - all to me, are greater to the game than a perfect game. He should win Sportsman of the year!
After this last few weeks of Umps calling press conferences and complaining about long games, Joyce is such a breath of fresh air. His apology seemed so genuine and heartfelt. He truly seemed more upset than Galarraga. He admitted his mistake without the help of MLB and/or handlers/spinners. He stepped up, and did something very difficult.
Also, that play was a lot closer than everyone is making it out to be.
And something worth thinking about: I'm sure this is not the only "blown call" to effect or ruin a perfect game. Think of how "outside" Don Larsen's final pitch was to Yogi. This one just came on the 27th out, with replay available. How many times did a no-hitter have a single, questionable BB called in the early innings. Or one-hitters that had a similar call made earlier in the game. Maybe "blown calls" take pitchers out of games normally they would have finished as one hitters or perfect games? This "blown call" is not unique. The only thing is the way all parties handled it.
Hats off to the game. To sportsmanship. Humility. And the good guys, Leyland, Joyce, and Galarraga.
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:48 am
You gotta respect Galarraga's reaction. He downplayed everything so much and then capped it off with someone along the lines of "I'll thrown another one."
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:57 am
Ironic, though it is, think of how many times we might have raged against an umpire for making a call almost by rote.
"Ball beat runner; runner out" is proven often enough to be wrong, by benefit of a bobble, a great slide to actually avoid a tag...whatever.
This one time, Joyce was not on autopilot. He actually must have felt he saw a base hit, or else he could never have gone so strongly against the momentum that was building, and made the call that he did.
And, what seems so crystal-clear in a super slo-mo replay is barely than a 10th of a second, real time. Scoring from the living room "press box" sofa, we are probably wrong a lot more than they are.
June 3rd, 2010 at 10:03 am
I could not agree more with the last 3 comments. Joyce and Galarraga both handled it supremely well.
As stat guys, we owe it to Galarraga to never let anybody forget his performance last night. His name won't appear on the list of no-hitters or perfect games (at least not for yesterday's date) so a lot of fans will forget. Let's help them remember.
June 3rd, 2010 at 10:42 am
It took me a while to get over Denkinger's call, and the ump last night messed up, but that's life. My biggest gripes with baseball are the ball/strike calls and the DH (dump that rule). And all those "alternate" uniforms. None of that is likely to change, either. Tough luck for the Detroit pitcher, though. Hope his career turns out better than Len Barker's.
June 3rd, 2010 at 10:43 am
I agree with much of what has been said. I think Galarraga deserves much credit for how he handled himself, and I also feel horrible for Joyce, because there is a chance he will be remembered for this call regardless of his other achievements.
A reply to dukeofflatbush's post: Your post made me think of Milt Pappas's no-hitter. One strike away from perfection only for the borderline pitch to be called ball four. All I can say is I am glad I am not an umpire.
June 3rd, 2010 at 10:53 am
You can't protest/reverse a judgement call afterwards. It was not a rules interpretation like the pine tar game was.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:21 am
Allan (#36). That's exactly what I thought to, but the media is now reporting Selig and "his advisors" are looking into it!!!
I don;t understand how can they do it either, and if they do Galarraga will still have a tainted perfect game, but at least he will be on the list.
Stay tuned.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:30 am
And Joyce and his family are getting harrassing calls and threats.
When will this insanity stop???
Are we now a society that is ready to throw out the rule of law, just on an angry, insane, whim?
When it gets down to threats and intimidation, it's time to go get a real life!
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:36 am
There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that Joyce's call gets reversed. That would open the doors to players and managers arguing all sorts of calls, during and after games, especially in the post-season. They cannot do it. Umpires are human and make (very very infrequent) mistakes and that's part of the game. The only thing that will really happen from Joyce's call will be a more serious discussion of use of replay for calls at the bases and catches in the outfield (which I personally think would be a mistake.)
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:44 am
I'm a baseball lover and a teacher in Michigan. My students are spreading a rumor that it is possible for the Baseball Hall of Fame to change the Joyce call. I've never heard of such a thing, but my students are looking for anyway they can think of to make this right for Galarraga. It's a crazy question, but... Has anyone heard that the Hall of Fame will be getting involved? I told my students I would look into it for them. At the moment, all I can tell them is that life is unfair and that Galarraga has been an amazing example of how to handle an unfair situation. This breaks my heart and I know that it must break Mr. Joyce's heart too. Baseball has to have a way to fix this.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:47 am
Melissa, the HOF has no say whatsoever in baseball stats or rulings. No doubt they will add an exhibit dedicated to this game. However, as with many of the other games mentioned in the comments above, nothing can be done for Galarraga.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:49 am
The Hall of Fame has no authority over anything except the Hall of Fame. However, there is talk that the Commissioner is "looking into it." Knowing him, I'm sure he'll manage to make the wrong decision, whatever it may be.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:50 am
The play at first with a pitcher covering is one umpires often struggle to get right. It's tough watching the ball and both feet on the bag at the same time, as opposed to listening for the ball and watching the bag as umpires usually do at first.
It's unfortunate for Galarraga AND Joyce, but baseball and life aren't fair. There are not do-overs.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:57 am
I don't see how it open's a pandora's box, especially, if the rule eventually pertains only to game-ending plays. Balls and strikes and hits/errors/bad calls at any other time of the game certainly effect the game but not like game-ending decisions. I don't see what would be so bad about making sure game-ending plays are called correctly. Maybe called 3rd strikes or walks that walk in a run would be exempted but other than that.
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:00 pm
And now, the grandstanding politicians, with nothing better to do, are involved.
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) wants it to be "declared" a perfect game.
And Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm may to issue a proclamation, also declaring it a perfect game.
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Splint, you took the words right out of my mouth. MLB can say it only applies to game-ending plays, since they include a finality that other plays do not; certainly everyone can agree that those plays are in a different class than balls and strikes calls, or a groundout to end the third inning. Other missed calls afford the offended team to make amends, to play through it, etc. Game-ending missed calls do not.
Besides, I kinda like the idea of going back to the days in which the commissioner could do just about whatever he damn well pleased. Former commissioners might make a decision, popular or otherwise, and tell any detractors to go to hell. This would certainly not be the most controversial decision a commissioner has ever made... in the end, though, I'm with JohnnyTwisto: if there's a BAD decision to make, whatever it might be, we can all rest assured that Selig will make it. 😛
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Some of you are making my ears bleed. Why on earth would MLB make a special rule to change just the very last call of a game? It is exceptionally rare that the very last call of a game affects its status as a perfect game. It's happened one time before yesterday. But how many times has a player lost or been granted a no-hitter because of a judgment call (such as an error) that happens in the middle of a game? Why would you allow reversal of one judgment call and not another? I can argue that if I get a bad call against me in the 4th inning, then the entire game after that is tainted. Then I should get credit for a perfect game if an ump makes a bad call in the 4th inning.
MLB can not and will not open these flood dates. This sort of thing has happened before and will happen again. It's part of baseball. The only thing they MIGHT do is incorporate instant replay into future games.
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Why on earth would MLB make a special rule to change just the very last call of a game?
Because they already have special rules to change certain other calls in a game (i.e., instant replay for home runs).
It is exceptionally rare that the very last call of a game affects its status as a perfect game.
Are you arguing that rules that affect only exceptionally rare events are not worthwhile rules?
Why would you allow reversal of one judgment call and not another? I can argue that if I get a bad call against me in the 4th inning, then the entire game after that is tainted. Then I should get credit for a perfect game if an ump makes a bad call in the 4th inning.
Because the call in the 4th inning, whether correct or incorrect, affects every other play in the game that follows it.
Look, I'm not 100% behind the idea, but I assure you: there is a real, unemotional difference between a blown call on the 12th out and a blown call that would otherwise be the 27th out.
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Yes, you're making my point. A blown call by an ump affects everything that happens after it. Why would we choose to reverse just a small fraction of plays at the very end of games when earlier blow calls introduce much more variability into the outcome of the game? So if I'm perfect through 3 and the ump blows a call in the 4th, I think MLB should be forced to assume that I would have pitched a perfect game, and go ahead and put my name in the record books. (BTW, I am being facetious.)
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:27 pm
BTW, I am being facetious.
heh, yeah I get that. Your argument is, in fact, why I'm not 100% behind the idea. It's a travesty of justice, but then again, travesties of justice happen all of the time, every day.
However, I'm still not ready to buy what you're selling. You cannot assume the perfect game after a blown call in the 4th any more than you can assume a double play in a hit/error scoring decision. My point about challenging plays at the end of a game (and ONLY those that would, if reversed, END the game) is that those calls afford the affected team no chance whatsoever to overcome the bad call. Teams MUST overcome adversity, as they must do with blown calls that happen every game. Blown calls that would otherwise end the game don't allow those teams to overcome that adversity, which is the most compelling (but, again, not 100% settled) reason MLB would want to stick their nose in it.
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Well Bud selig can invoke the best interest in the game clause can be invoked,but i seriously doubt he will and unlike the pinetar game or the merkle game in 1908 the game didn't end there.
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Yhe Pine tar game has absolutely nothing in common with this one. that game was played under protest. That happens relatively often. About half the protests are rendered moot because the aggrieved team wins anyway.
And most of the remainibng protests are overruled by the commissioners office. The Pine tar game was ruled in favor of KC, which is why [part of it had to be replayed.
Keep in mind that the
A---The rules don;t allow for filing a protest for a bad judgment call, only for a bad rules interpretation
B---The Tigers never attempted to file a protest.
C---The outcome of the game is not in doubt, it was a tiger victory and an Indian loss.
That being said, i can see a scenario where Bud uses his jellyfish spine and reverses it anyways. I have mixed feelings as to whether he should. If he does decide to reverse it, I hope someone asks "What if the Indians rallied for 4 runs that inning and prevailed 4-3? Should it still have been reversed?"
Somehow I doubt they will ask.
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:55 pm
After sleeping on it and listening to the radio chatter this morning and reading through these blogs and various other stories, I'm taking the position that the call should be overturned and he should be given the perfect game. This is such a crazy, once in a lifetime, will never happen again situation, that I think Selig can come out and say "We're changing the call. We're not changing any rules, we're not setting a precedent, we're not advocating more replay, we're just changing this one call this one time. Do not come crying to me every time a call doesn't go your way, I will probably never be doing this again."
Here's the key: the only thing a reversal would affect would be a single line in the record books. This wasn't a WS game, it wasn't a playoff game, it wasn't a meaningful game in any way, and the call didn't even affect the outcome of the game. The only "changes" would be Gallaraga gets his perfect game, Donald's BA goes down a tick and Trevor Crowe's BA goes up a tick. This is such a rare set of circumstances where a change in ruling has almost no negative affect at all and huge positive affect for one person, that I think they can get away with making a change just this once as long as they make it clear there is no precedence being set and this will never happen again.
@52. If the Indians had scored 4 runs everything I just said would be moot and I would take the stance that the call should never be overturned. It's precisely because absolutely nothing happened afterward that I think they are justified in doing this.
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:59 pm
Except that this already has happened before, to Milt Pappas in 1972.
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:17 pm
It isn't the same thing Andy, with Milt Pappas it was the kind of bad ball/strike call you see 3 or 4 times a game and Bruce Froemming contended they were balls. There is room for argument.
Here you have a call that wouldn't have been acceptable in 4th grade kickball. Jim Joyce has stepped up and said all the right things and there is no doubt that he blew it.
This falls more under the rule that Selig pulled out of his butt last year when Howie Kendrick's IPHR, turned into a 4-base error by Guillen
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:18 pm
5 seconds after I submitted, the Angels broadcasters just reported that Selig will not reverse the call and the 1-hitter stands, so I guess this is all moot.
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:26 pm
@Andy
Yeah, what Bill said. On balls and strikes there's room for argument and judgment. This is cut and dry, he was out, there's indisputable video evidence of it. And besides, Pappas lost a perfect game but got the no-hitter, Gallaraga lost the perfect game and got a 1-hitter. Pappas gets his name in the record books (albeit under a different column), Gallaraga walks away with nothing. The level of injustice is incomparable.
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Ok, so Selig isn't reversing anything. I can live with that and I think it's the right call. I was arguing against the "pandora's box" excuse people were using as a reason not to reverse it. The way I see it is that we can say without a doubt that if that call was made correctly, that pitcher has a perfect game. It's not the same as a blown call at any other time in the game. Even Denkinger's call was just the first batter of the ninth, so we can't know for sure how a correct call would have changed that game. I'm just saying that if the correct call can be made, and it doesn't effect anything major that happened after that call (a judgement call in itself), an argument can me made that it should be so noted.
June 3rd, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Why are we limited to the 1-hitter? Official scorer ought to rule it an error and give him the no-no.
List it as E-Umpire if need be.
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:03 pm
I don't think we have to worry about last night's game being forgotten. I actually think it's likely that Galarraga's should-have-been-perfect-game will be better remembered than most of the perfect games that are officially in the books (just as Harvey Haddix's not-an-official-perfect-game is). I think it's a safe bet that Galarraga's game will end up being more famous than either Halladay's or Braden's, and whenever somebody talks about the perfect games of 2009 (or perfect games in general), Galarraga will be invoked. Whatever shape his career ends up taking, he will forever be remembered as The Guy Who Got Robbed of a Perfect Game. The call doesn't need to be corrected in order for this game to go down in history.
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:23 pm
"Austin Jackson's monumental once-in-a-decade catch"? That wasn't even the best outfield catch of the day.
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Could Donald have told Joyce "I was out" and walked off the field? Can an ump reverse his own call right on the spot?
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Typo in my comment above--that obviously should have read "the perfect games of 2010," not 2009.
June 3rd, 2010 at 6:58 pm
To 59 above, the official scorer correctly ruled the play a base hit. Joyce himself said he called Donald safe because he thought he beat the throw, not because Galarraga's foot wasn't on the base, or because he bobbled the ball. So there's no error. If we start ruling plays errors instead of hits just to try to 'save' no-hitters, that damages the integrity of what it means to pitch a no-hitter. It would be the same thing as Donald purposely not running hard, or Joyce purposely calling Donald out even if he actually had been safe just to 'save' the perfect game.
I understand that the play was unlike George Brett's pine-tar play - this was a judgement call and not a rules interpretation. However, I think common sense should've prevailed here. As other posters have stated, this was such a unique circumstance, and the outcome of the game would stay pretty much exactly the same, that the positives in letting this game be officially recognized as a perfect game outweigh the negatives in potentially setting a precedent. What makes this unique is that there is no assumption going on - if that call isn't blown, the game IS over. There's no, 'well, he would've had to get the next guy out anyway, and who knows what would've happened'. That's it, game's over at that point right there. No question.
The only positive that can come out of this situation now is the expanded use of instant replay in the future so something like this can never happen again. I'm the first one to defend the umpires. They have a difficult job, and are very good at it. Jim Joyce seems like a good guy who just missed the call. It happens to the best umpire every now and then, because we're human. But that's precisely why instant replay should be available. It's about getting the call right. Replay is a tool that the umpires can use to help them get calls right. Why not use it? It wouldn't hurt the integrity of the game, it would help it by preventing issues like this in the future.
A great example is last night's Stanley Cup Final game. Two potential goals were reviewed, and in the end, the correct calls were made both times. Is anyone complaining? Is either referee embarrassed or ashamed? No. They reviewed the plays, they got the calls right, and they moved on with the game. Everyone's happy. Why would this be so difficult to do in baseball?
June 4th, 2010 at 12:08 am
It pains me to read people making the comment that you can't reverse a call. I haven't seen one good explanation why not? Baseball has rules, I know. I've been following baseball and memorizing stats since I was 5. But this play is the turning point in the future of baseball. We no longer accept this wonderful game to be marred by gambling, drugs, why would we sit back and let it be hurt by something else when there is a solution at hand.
The solution is simple: reverse this call, and immediately make a rule that states that effective as soon as is technically feasible, managers get one call to review on a play in the ninth inning or beyond - except balls and strikes. You could probably do it in a week - seriously. The home team needs to wire up a TV somewhere near the home dugout, and replay could be done in less than 2 minutes. Then next season, you can more formalize the process like the NFL has done.
After we do that, the next rule is to enforce a speedier game. I hate 3 1/2 hour 9-inning games in mid-season; and I'm 40 years old. The Wii and FaceBook generation will not endure such things.
June 4th, 2010 at 3:31 am
Wow. I just realized this:
Possibly the greatest player of this generation retires, and we mention him in just two posts out of the first 65 in a shared thread.
How wrong is that?
Junior deserves his own thread.
June 4th, 2010 at 5:25 am
Griffey will be featured on Card of the Week tomorrow and the post will include my thought on his career. Check the blog tomorrow morning and you can add your thoughts.
June 4th, 2010 at 5:41 am
Withers, in truth this is only the latest in a long string of controversial/blown calls by umps that have affected stats and game outcomes. You feel now the way Cardinals fans felt in 1985 and the way Milt Pappas felt in 1972. This circumstance with Galarraga is not unique and past precedent has been set. Your pain is too fresh, apparently, to see the bigger picture.
June 4th, 2010 at 10:19 am
I was watching Countdown with Keith Olbermann last night. He had Ken Burns on the show, to talk about the game.
Surprisingly (to me, anyway), both seemed to feel that the result will be changed at some time in the future.
They talked of MLB being scared of the "slippery slope" possibilities (where would arbitrary changing of calls eventually lead to?).
I, for one, love the fact that it all happens right there on the field, and is subject to human frailties and the whims of fate.
It is subject to our imperfections, but it also brings us moments when we are in absolute awe of the strength of character possessed by two individuals in the center of a firestorm of controversy.
Despite the heartbreak both men feel, I will treasure the moment as proof of our better natures. Who didn't have a tear in their eye, after seeing footage of Joyce and Galarraga at the exchanging of the lineup cards before the game last night?
There are moments -- both good and bad -- when the game trancends tape-measure home runs and highlight reel catches.
This was also the best and most teachable of moments for those of us with young children, especially those in the hyper-competitive world of modern youth sports.
I understand the desire to "get it right", but there's much more to life. We don't get to "fix" everything. By not having the "out" of arbitrarily changing the ruling, we have been witness to one of the classiest, most human, moments in the history of the game.
Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga rose above it all, to give us a moment in time we will never forget.
June 4th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
To Andy in post #68 above, with all due respect, this actually is a unique situation. In the 1985 World Series, that only would've been the first out of the 9th inning - the Cardinals still would've had to get 2 more outs after that play anyway. With the Pappas game, it was a ball / strike call. Those are inherently more subjective that safe / out calls. That's why there's specifically a rule that you can't argue ball / strike calls. With the game the other night, as I previously mentioned, if the obvious, indisputable correct call is made, the game is over right there, and it definitely, without-a-doubt IS a perfect game. No 'what if' needed. That's the difference.
Also, to JeffW in #69, I completely agree that Joyce and Galarraga, and Leyland, have all showed grace and class in how they have behaved since the call, and there are good lessons to be learned in that. And I understand that there's 'much more to life' than correcting a blown call in a baseball game, and we don't get to 'fix' everything in life. But honestly ... this COULD have been fixed. Why would we not want it to be? I'm not railing to eliminate umpires or the human element from games. Again as I previously mentioned, I agree that umpires largely do a very good job, and are underappreciated for it. But we're talking about the highest level of a profession that people get paid millions of dollars a year to play, and people like you and me devote considerable amounts of our time and energy following. Why would we NOT want to get the call right, if we have the means to do that? There's an equally poignant message there too - about admitting when you're wrong, owning up to it, and making amends where you can.
June 4th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
"There's an equally poignant message there too - about admitting when you're wrong, owning up to it, and making amends where you can."
Joe, I whole-heartedly agree. The difference is that I think that is what has already been done, by Joyce.
That's also why I feel Joyce will not suffer the same fate as Don Denkinger. People make mistakes. And people will forgive people who own up to those mistakes and show the proper contrition. Denkinger became a pariah, largely because it took him so long to own up to his.
There is an inherent greatness here that goes beyond getting the call right. It lies in the way these two fine gentlemen have comported themselves, even moreso, in knowing that the call will not be overturned.
They will live with it, with grace and dignity.
I believe that, in this era of bad behavior -- cheating, substance abuse, and just plain boorishness -- that the message of the moment is that we are better than all that.
And that message is more important than all the perfect games that will ever be thrown.
Humanity, at its best. That is something to be proud of!
June 4th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
@61
"Austin Jackson's monumental once-in-a-decade catch"? That wasn't even the best outfield catch of the day.
Given the situation, I'd say it was pretty darn good. Every perfect game has those "HOLY CARP HE SAVED IT" plays; just look at DeWayne Wise's, now mentioned as one of the best in recent memory. Once in a decade is exaggeration, but he could have been a LEGEND had the game been perfect. Now the call overshadows the catch, and he'll have to wait for another chance at immortality.
June 4th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
I have to say that I was pretty stunned seeing Galarraga's reaction. That is the definition of class; it NEVER happens anymore. To brush it off like he did, and not show a trace of disingenuity in his postgame comments is something everyone can learn from.
June 4th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Watch Jackson's catch again but this time watch him and not the ball. Look at how far and how quickly he ran. What makes the play amazing is how the actual catch itself was after how long and how quickly he ran. Out of 100 times under normal (i.e. not preserving a perfect game) circumstances that catch gets made once or twice.
June 4th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Yes, great stuff there JeffW. I guess though we'll just have to agree to disagree here. Because as great as all the classy behavior by the involved parties is, I think the classiest thing of all would've been for the league to step forward and say 'hey, you know what - this was wrong, so we're gonna make it right'. That would be the last part - making amends where you can.
If an electrician installs faulty wiring, is it enough for them to say 'yup, I made a mistake. My bad.' Or would we want them to go back and fix it? If a plumber puts in faulty piping, would we say 'well as long as you're sorry, we'll call it good', or would they be expected to go back and fix the leak?
The league made a mistake here. Great, they admitted it. Wonderful. Now make that admission matter by going in and fixing it if you can. (And that includes my additional point about implementing replay so nothing like this ever happens again).
June 5th, 2010 at 11:20 pm
The Jackson catch was at least 80% about the amount of ground he covered. He was shallow and shaded toward right; the ball was hit into just about the deepest part of left-center. Sure, it wasn't the greatest catch ever, but it was a damn fine catch, doubly (or triply) so given the circumstances.
June 6th, 2010 at 7:02 am
[...] mistaken call on what should have been the final out of a perfect game by Armando Galarraga, I posted on this blog that there was absolutely no way that Commissioner Selig would reverse or overturn Joyce's call and [...]