# Bad call wipes out Tigers pitcher's perfect game bid



## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Please tell me I'm not the only Kindleboarder absolutely gutted for Armando Galarraga right now.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Who?


Betsy (who hasn't followed baseball since the Senators left town to become the Texas Rangers).


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Though, more seriously, that would be a heartbreaker!

Betsy


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Bets,

The kid was one out away from a perfect game (27 hitters faced, none reaching first). On the 27th out, Ground ball in between first and second, first baseman fields it. Pitcher came over to cover first, caught the throw and steps on the bag, beat the runner by a step. Umpire at first called him safe, ends the bid.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8616789

This is the video of the play.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

That sort of play at first is one of the hardest for an ump to call, because he cannot use the usual audio cue of listening for the ball to hit the first baseman's glove while watching the runner's feet. _But_, in that particular situation, I can't imagine the ump calling the runner safe unless he was positive that he was. Halladay's perfect game had at least two strike outs looking that I was sure were going to be walks, so it shows how much everything has to come together -- including the umpiring -- for a perfect game to happen: the defense usually has to make at least a couple really good plays while not committing any errors, the offense has to score at least one run (so you can finish it after 9), the pitcher has to be extremely good and consistent, _and_ the umpires have to either get all the calls right, or when wrong, only err on the side of that pitcher's team.

Credit to the pitcher though for not immediately going into a tantrum like a lot of spoiled professional athletes would.


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## JimJ (Mar 3, 2009)

I really wish MLB would bring in instant replay for plays like this. There's just no excuse not having it in a game that features so many close calls (and this one wasn't even very close). I feel terrible for the pitcher and for baseball as a whole because it would've been amazing to have 3 perfect games in one year.

I read the AP article and it said that Jim Joyce (the ump) was in tears after seeing the replay and apologized to Galaragga.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

It was a heartbreaking call for Galaraga, but I think Joyce has been a really big man to admit he blew the call and apologize.  Everyone KNOWS Galaraga pitched a perfect game, unfortunately it won't go down in the history books.


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## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

JimJ said:


> I really wish MLB would bring in instant replay for plays like this. There's just no excuse not having it in a game that features so many close calls (and this one wasn't even very close). I feel terrible for the pitcher and for baseball as a whole because it would've been amazing to have 3 perfect games in one year.
> 
> I read the AP article and it said that Jim Joyce (the ump) was in tears after seeing the replay and apologized to Galaragga.


EXACTLY. There is no reason not to! That's why replays exist, this could have easily been avoided. I understand that he's sorry, and that's great - but this kid would have gone down in history. It's just too bad.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

http://www.blessyouboys.com/2010/6/2/1498707/dear-mr-selig-make-this-game?ref=yahoo


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

I really wish I could turn this thread into an ad for my baseball time travel novel... lol... I did it last night on Facebook, though.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

> Credit to the pitcher though for not immediately going into a tantrum like a lot of spoiled professional athletes would.


Not only did he not have a tantrum, he handled the situation with incredible humor and grace. As has the umpire.


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## JimJ (Mar 3, 2009)

Pretty much everyone involved has handled the situation with amazing class. The real shame is that everyone in the stadium knew almost immediately that the call was wrong because they got to see the slo mo replay. The ONE person with the power to change the call was not allowed to see the replay. That just makes no sense.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I suspect it won't be long (i.e. maybe next year?) that MLB goes to a challenge system something like the NFL and tennis (on featured courts in most major tourneys) do, where the manager can ask for a replay a limited number of times per game, and for a limited number of circumstances (e.g., _not_ for balls and strikes).


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Doesn't a baseball game last long enough without challenges and replays? ><  That's why I always figured they didn't have them, to give them more time to kick bats and spit.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Scheherazade said:


> Doesn't a baseball game last long enough without challenges and replays? >< That's why I always figured they didn't have them, to give them more time to kick bats and spit.


Well, imagine what typically happens when an ump blows a call these days. First everything stops while one or more of the players involved start arguing with the umpire. Then the manager comes trotting out to try and keep the ump from throwing a player of his out of the game. Then both the manager and ump feel they must put on a show and argue for a minute. Then the ump gets fed up and throws the manager out of the game. Then the manager keeps arguing. Then the umpire crew chief comes over and tries to get the manager to leave the field. Eventually the manger leaves, and everyone goes back to their places, and finally the game starts up again.

Now, imagine if instead the manager calls time out, asks for a review, the umpire goes over to a replay monitor, watches a couple replays, and either confirms or changes the call. It probably won't take any longer, and often may save time. And on top of all that, it would get it right if there was a mistake.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Joyce, who was honest, is now going to go down in history as the guy who blew it.

Also:


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Well, he'd go down as 'the guy who blew it' anyway.  At least he wasn't a jerk about it. . . .and the pitcher cool as well.  Nice to see on both sides of the issue. . . . .And, really, though the pitcher doesn't have a perfect game for the official record books. . . .he'll be more famous for the way it happened. . . .In 6 years only baseball geeks will be able to name the pitchers who pitched perfect games in 2010. . . .but everyone will know about Galarraga and Joyce and the class and maturity both showed.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Well, he'd go down as 'the guy who blew it' anyway.


Oh, sure, but there's a difference between being that guy and having the mistake stand and being that guy, but all's well that ends well. If it's fixed, that becomes a point of trivia for Joyce and if they don't, that's all anyone will recall and he becomes a villain even after doing the right thing.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

I don't follow baseball much, although I do go  to a couple of Tigers spring training games, living in Lakeland. But this will be remembered like that World Series game a few years ago when, was it the Cubbies? would have won except for that person in the stands who interfered with a foul ball that could have been caught for the out.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

That was the 2003 NLCS, Game Six. Five outs away...


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

John Fitch V said:


> That was the 2003 NLCS, Game Six. Five outs away...


Of course, chaos theory tells us that had the fan not interfered and the player had made the catch, we still do not know if the Cubs would have lost anyway, as you cannot predict how any of the ensuing at bats by the subsequent players on either team would have proceeded from that point, as all the pre-conditions would have changed.

(Geek hat off...)


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

John Fitch V said:


> I really wish I could turn this thread into an ad for my baseball time travel novel... lol... I did it last night on Facebook, though.


You have a baseball time-travel novel? Omg! I read "If I Never Get Back" by Darryl Brock years ago. Re-read it then a few years after that. I loved that book. If you have one like it, point me in the direction!


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

NogDog said:


> Of course, chaos theory tells us that had the fan not interfered and the player had made the catch, we still do not know if the Cubs would have lost anyway, as you cannot predict how any of the ensuing at bats by the subsequent players on either team would have proceeded from that point, as all the pre-conditions would have changed.
> 
> (Geek hat off...)


Is that the name for it I tell my husband all the time that you can't say that if xxx hadn't happened we would've won - the pitcher probably would've thrown a different pitch, the QB would've called a different play, etc, etc. Now I can throw the "Chaos Theory" flag Not that I've never heard of chaos theory - heck, I saw Jurassic Park  - I just never quite put it together that way. Then again I was never a math whiz, never took physics. My head hurts thinking about it!


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

MichelleR said:


> Joyce, who was honest, is now going to go down in history as the guy who blew it.
> 
> Also:


One of my favorite movies ever. Makes me cry every time. Just the music makes me cry. I seem to have a thing for baseball movies - The Natural, Bull Durham, and Field of Dreams are all on my favorites list. I caught "61" on cable recently and really enjoyed it - the story of the year Roger Maris set the home run record. Not a real fun year for him, as it turns out.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Meemo said:


> Is that the name for it I tell my husband all the time that you can't say that if this hadn't happened we would've won - the pitcher probably would've thrown a different pitch, the QB would've called a different play, etc, etc. Now I can throw the "Chaos Theory" flag


More specifically, the "sensitivity to initial conditions" part of chaos theory, popularly referred to as the "butterfly effect," whereby it can be essentially impossible to predict a specific future condition, due to the chaotic system in question being highly variable depending on potentially very small differences in the initial conditions. The classic example is how hard it is to predict the weather with any degree of accuracy more than a few days in advance, and the idea that the beating of a butterfly's wings in China might cause a storm in the US a few weeks later. A clearer example, perhaps, is how during the break in a billiards game, very tiny differences in how the balls are racked, where the cue ball is placed, how hard it is struck, and the precise direction it is struck can have very large differences in the results (where the racked balls end up, how many are pocketed, where the cue ball ends up, etc.).


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Then there's Schrodinger's Cat. . . . . .


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Then there's Schrodinger's Cat. . . . . .


Or is there?*

_____________
* That's an incredibly funny joke on my part, if you happen to be into quantum physics and are very easily amused.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Ha!  I totally got it. . . . . . . .


But, back to baseball:  the Orioles are abysmal. . . but at least they beat Boston today. . . .finally. . . ..


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

The O's swept us earlier this year... miracles do happen, Ann. 

I'm interested to see how Strasburg does Tuesday.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Ha! I totally got it. . . . . . . .
> 
> But, back to baseball: the Orioles are abysmal. . . but at least they beat Boston today. . . .finally. . . ..


I always liked Juan Samuel as a player. I hope this new foray into managing does not eat him up and spit him out.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

John Fitch V said:


> I'm interested to see how Strasburg does Tuesday.


You can't get a ticket for the game. . . at least, not unless you buy a package for 4 games. . . .we're actually going to the James Taylor/Carly Simon Troubador Reunion concert that evening. . .I mentioned to the folks we're going with that, if we're planning to meet for dinner at 6 in town, that we should leave well earlier than we think 'cause traffic to the game will be worse than usual and, even though it's in a completey different part of town. . . it's likely to cause problems. They more or less pooh pooh'ed me. . . but I told my husband anyway that I was planning to meet him at the Church by 5 and we should leave by 5:15 to walk or metro to the restaurant. . . I favor walk, as the metro will be crowded too, and it's only a mile or so.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> You can't get a ticket for the game. . . at least, not unless you buy a package for 4 games. . . .we're actually going to the James Taylor/Carly Simon Troubador Reunion concert that evening. . .I mentioned to the folks we're going with that, if we're planning to meet for dinner at 6 in town, that we should leave well earlier than we think 'cause traffic to the game will be worse than usual and, even though it's in a completey different part of town. . . it's likely to cause problems. They more or less pooh pooh'ed me. . . but I told my husband anyway that I was planning to meet him at the Church by 5 and we should leave by 5:15 to walk or metro to the restaurant. . . I favor walk, as the metro will be crowded too, and it's only a mile or so.


'Tis why the good Lord created the DVR.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Bah!    I don't believe in recording sporting events. . . .but if I feel like I want to see the young kid pitch they'll rebroadcast it Wednesday morning. . . . .or just go to a different game sometime!


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

It wouldn't be the same, though. He'll never have another Major League debut. Flashbulbs will be popping.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Meemo said:


> I caught "61" on cable recently and really enjoyed it - the story of the year Roger Maris set the home run record.


This seems like a good time for me to work in one of my obligatory mentions of Hibbing.* Roger Maris was from Hibbing, Minnesota originally. 

Betsy

*(I am contractually obligated by my mother's memory to work her home town of Hibbing, MN into as many conversations as possible, just as she did. )


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> You can't get a ticket for the game. . . at least, not unless you buy a package for 4 games. . . .


Don't they have $5 same day tickets available at the stadium on game day or something?

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Don't they have $5 same day tickets available at the stadium on game day or something?
> 
> Betsy


It's possible but as of now if you try to buy on line you can't unless you want to buy a package. That might change on game day, though, if there are seats left. I expect there'll be a near capacity crowd. . . . .

(though the real point of my post was that there'd be a lot of traffic -- we're going to the James Taylor/Carly Simon concert)


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> This seems like a good time for me to work in one of my obligatory mentions of Hibbing.* Roger Maris was from Hibbing, Minnesota originally.
> 
> Betsy
> 
> *(I am contractually obligated by my mother's memory to work her home town of Hibbing, MN into as many conversations as possible, just as she did. )


Happy I could help!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> It's possible but as of now if you try to buy on line you can't unless you want to buy a package. That might change on game day, though, if there are seats left. I expect there'll be a near capacity crowd. . . . .
> 
> (though the real point of my post was that there'd be a lot of traffic -- we're going to the James Taylor/Carly Simon concert)


Well, yes, got that.  I was just curious as my brother had recently mentioned the $5 tickets...

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I did hear on the news tonight that they're opening up some more seats at 1 p.m. tomorrow. . . I guess, they didn't sell all the packages. . .some for $10 and some for $5.

Gonna be a full house!


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

And they'll start lining up to buy tickets at about 5 a.m.


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