What happened last night in the Cleveland / Detroit game is a perfect example of why the MLB needs to consider making better use of the instant re-play. We are all human; the players are human, the coaches are human and even the umpires are human. The fact is that humans make mistakes. Jim Joyce has already accepted the fact that last night he made a mistake. It still doesn’t change anything though. The baseball fans can huff and puff about the call all they want, but it still won’t change the fact that it happened, and that if the MLB were using instant re-play this would definitely be a non-issue right now.
Joyce sought out Galarraga last night after watching the re-play to apologize to him face-to-face. If he can admit he was wrong then why can’t the MLB? He reportedly approached Galarraga with a tear in his eye to apologize. Jim Joyce has been working in the major league since 1989 and never in his career has he experienced a moment like he did last night. He has been out on the field for two World Series, 11 playoff series and two All-Star games.
I feel bad for not only Armando Galarraga and his teammates, but the entire Tigers organization that is yet to achieve a perfect game. Detroit shortstop Ramon Santiago doesn’t care that it was not officially ruled as a perfect game, he is going to get Galarraga to sign a ball for him anyways.
I don’t understand why the NBA, NFL and NHL all have no problem admitting that the human eye isn’t perfect. For some reason the MLB will only use the instant replay when a questionable home run occurs. Why is it ok for them to use it in one situation and not another? As it stands right now, there is no way to appeal a judgment call.
This would have marked another historic milestone in baseball as we have already seen two perfect games this season. We watched Roy Halladay pitch a perfect game for Philly last Saturday in Florida, and Dallas Braden of Oakland did it just weeks prior in Tampa Bay on May 9th. The last time there were two perfect games occurring in the same season was not within our lifetime, occurring in 1880. Should Joyce have made the correct call, it would have made history in two ways; it would have been the first time in history that there was three perfect games in one season, and the first time in history the Tigers have had a perfect game.
Although it is highly unlikely, I would love to see MLB reverse this call and award Armando Galarraga and the Tigers with the perfect game they deserved. If this isn’t a wakeup call to the MLB that they need to expand their use of instant re-plays then I don’t know what is!
Elite Girl Jen