Out by a full step -- but no!!!!!!!!!!!!!
06/03/10 11:20 AM
By ED BARK
Wow, Wednesday night brought the first perfect game that wasn't. And as a Detroit Tigers announcer rightly says in the below video, "What a travesty. What an absolute travesty."
Umpires aren't perfect, of course. But Jim Joyce blew a relatively easy call after the Cleveland Indians' Jason Donald hit a slow roller toward second base with two outs in the ninth inning. Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera backhanded the ball and tossed it to pitcher Armando Galarraga, who touched the first base bag a step ahead of Donald. But Joyce erroneously signaled the runner safe, robbing Galarraga of what would have been an unprecedented third major league perfect game in a 23-day span.
Joyce, after watching a replay, admitted he blew the call. "I just cost that kid a perfect game," he lamented.
So what should baseball do? In this case, a do-over. The runner was clearly out -- without any semblance of a doubt. And although baseball is still an enemy of instant replay -- save for determining close calls on home runs -- it's incumbent on commissioner Bud Selig to reverse Joyce's call and quickly remove what otherwise will be a lifelong cross for Joyce to bear.
The guy messed up, and had the courage to admit it. Now baseball needs to do the same.
Wow, Wednesday night brought the first perfect game that wasn't. And as a Detroit Tigers announcer rightly says in the below video, "What a travesty. What an absolute travesty."
Umpires aren't perfect, of course. But Jim Joyce blew a relatively easy call after the Cleveland Indians' Jason Donald hit a slow roller toward second base with two outs in the ninth inning. Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera backhanded the ball and tossed it to pitcher Armando Galarraga, who touched the first base bag a step ahead of Donald. But Joyce erroneously signaled the runner safe, robbing Galarraga of what would have been an unprecedented third major league perfect game in a 23-day span.
Joyce, after watching a replay, admitted he blew the call. "I just cost that kid a perfect game," he lamented.
So what should baseball do? In this case, a do-over. The runner was clearly out -- without any semblance of a doubt. And although baseball is still an enemy of instant replay -- save for determining close calls on home runs -- it's incumbent on commissioner Bud Selig to reverse Joyce's call and quickly remove what otherwise will be a lifelong cross for Joyce to bear.
The guy messed up, and had the courage to admit it. Now baseball needs to do the same.
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