Bud Selig is reportedly “considering the unusual move of overturning the call at first base on Wednesday in Detroit that cost Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game.” The New York Times‘s Tyler Kepner invokes an interesting analogy to make the case that Selig shouldn’t do it:
It was not a perfect game. The game continued after Joyce awarded Jason Donald first base. A perfect game is defined as a full game in which nobody on a team reaches base. It’s simple. And it didn’t happen. …
[T]his was not the first time an error cost a pitcher a perfect game.
Just last season, Jonathan Sanchez of the San Francisco Giants pitched a no-hitter against the Padres in which only one batter reached base – on an error by Juan Uribe. Sanchez himself allowed no one to reach base, but Chase Headley did. That happened, and it cannot be reversed.
In 1990, Terry Mulholland of the Phillies allowed only one baserunner against the Giants, when Rick Parker reached base on an error by Charlie Hayes. Parker was forced at second on an ensuing double play, meaning that Mulholland faced the minimum 27 batters and did not allow any to reach through fault of his own. But he had no perfect game. …
Nobody messed up except Joyce, and umpires cannot be awarded errors. … But it was imperfect because of Jim Joyce, just as much as Sanchez’s game was imperfect because of Uribe, and Mulholland’s because of Hayes. Galarraga has to live with it.
I’m torn on the issue. I can definitely see both sides of the argument. But if Selig is going to overturn the call, he should make his decision quickly and announce it this afternoon, during the Tigers-Indians game (the last in Detroit’s homestand) that’s currently in the third inning, so the team and the home crowd will have a chance to celebrate it. Hell, if the Tigers can build their lead — they’re currently up 2-0 — maybe they can bring out Galarraga with two outs in the ninth to get the save, and when he comes out onto the field, the P.A. system can announce Selig’s decision. Then when he records the final out, his teammates can mob him, like they should have been able to do yesterday.
This is one of the few situations where I’d be OK with the commish doing this. It was the last out of the last inning. The Indians did nothing after getting their guy to base. Getting the call right wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Me too, though I love Joe Mama’s idea on the other thread, where Jason Donald now goes on a 55-game hitting streak. 🙂
There is a huge difference between a player in the game making a physical error and an umpire making a judgement call error.
I am a huge Detroit Tigers fan and I have been sick to my stomach since last night. Kepner is simply wrong by definition. The Sanchez and Mulholland games were not blown perfect games.\
I don’t think Selig should do anything other than marginally expand the use of instant replay.
The class with which Gallaraga and Joyce handled this is admirable and a little shocking in today’s era of spoiled athletes. I’m proud of both of them.