By Hannah Franks
On June 2, 2010, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga pitched a near-perfect game in his fourth season in the majors. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, a perfect game requires a pitcher retiring at least 27 batters in a row, without him or the fielders allowing a walk, hit, or making an error of any kind. Had this been called a perfect game, it would have been the 21st perfect game to have occurred in the 153 years of Major League Baseball history. Due to the extreme rarity of perfect games, whether or not this was scored as a perfect game was a hugely significant moment in baseball history, and would have been the crowning achievement, without a doubt, of Galarraga’s career.
After having retired 26 batters, Galarraga faced Jason Donald of the Cleveland Indians, the potential final out in order to end the game with the perfect game still intact. Donald grounded the ball to the first baseman, who then threw it to Galarraga, who was covering first base. Galarraga received the ball with his foot on the bag before Donald had touched the base, and therefore Donald was out. However, due to an error in the umpire Jim Joyce’s perception of the play, Donald was ruled safe, and Galarraga’s perfect game bid was thus ended.
Galarraga proceeded to retire the next and final batter. The only blemish on his otherwise spotless game was the hit he allowed to Donald, meaning that had it been ruled an out (as it should have been), he would have have been credited with a perfect game.
After the game, Joyce admitted that upon watching the play over again, he realized he had made the wrong call. He said “I thought [Donald] beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.” He deeply regretted that his call had ended the perfect game, saying tearfully, “I took a perfect game away from that kid over there.” Bud Selig, the baseball commissioner, was petitioned by journalists and fans to officially credit Galarraga with the perfect game, but he never officially acknowledged the plea to overturn the call.
This was a big deal, to say the least. Fans, players, and managers alike were outraged and demanded the call to be overturned. Galarraga would likely never have another near-perfect game; no pitcher has ever thrown two perfect games in the history of baseball. However, Galarraga was nowhere near as upset as the public was. He still ended the game smiling, and stated ironically after its conclusion, “Nobody’s perfect.”
