Umpire admits he missed call that would have ended game BY JOHN LOWE, FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
By either inches or because of a missed call, right-hander Armando Galarraga missed throwing the first perfect game in Tigers history tonight.
Galarraga had retired all 26 Cleveland hitters when, with two out in the ninth, rookie Jason Donald sent a grounder into the second-base hole.
First baseman Miguel Cabrera broke and fielded the ball and threw to Galarraga covering first.
First-base umpire Jim Joyce ruled that Donald was safe.
•VIDEO OF THE CONTROVERSIAL CALL
Galarraga could only break into a smile.
Manager Jim Leyland argued the call.
Television replays appeared to show that Galarraga had caught the ball and touched the bag before Donald got there.
The veteran ump regretted it.
“I just cost that kid a perfect game,” Joyce said. “I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.”
“It was the biggest call of my career,” said Joyce, who became a full-time major league umpire in 1989.
Galarraga retired the next hitter, Trevor Crowe, to complete the one-hitter.
As the Tigers came on the field to celebrate, a few of them accosted Joyce. Leyland got into a more vigorous argument with Joyce than after the play first happened. The Tigers’ bench clearly had gotten the news that the replay indicated that Donald was out.
Mark Grudzielanek led off the ninth with a long drive to left-center. Center fielder Austin Jackson made a full-speed running catch, extending his glove upward at the last second for the grab.
Then Mike Redmond grounded to short, bringing up Donald.
Until the ninth, the toughest play for the defense came with two out in the fifth. Russell Branyan hit a ball up the middle that deflected off Galarraga toward shortstop. Third baseman Brandon Inge scooped it up on the run and threw out Branyan by a few strides.
It would have been the sixth no-hitter in Tigers history and the first since Justin Verlander in 2007. But in none of the previous five no-hitters had the Tigers pitcher retired all 27 hitters in order, as Galarraga nearly did tonight.
Galarraga went to a three-ball count one one batter, Travis Hafner leading off the fifth. Hafner fouled to left on a full count.
Miguel Cabrera homered in the second off right-hander Fausto Carmona for the game’s first run. It was 1-0 to the eighth, when the Tigers added two runs off Carmona.
It would have been the third perfect game in the majors this year, which would have been an all-time record for one season. The previous perfect games were thrown by Oakland’s Dallas Braden and Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay.
Galarraga began the year in the minors. He was recalled a few weeks ago when Max Scherzer was sent down. He stayed in the rotation when Dontrelle Willis was let go.
First-base umpire Jim Joyce's Wikipedia page was altered within minutes of the blown call. He was called an expletive and the first words in his entry were changed to "is the very worst umpire in Major League Baseball."
The alterations were corrected a few minutes later and another section was added to his page under the headline "Blown Call." It read: "On June 2, 2010, Joyce made a controversial call at first base which would have given Armando Galaragga of the Detroit Tigers a perfect game."
A note posted at the top of the page later said the page was currently protected from editing due to vandalism.
The Internet buzzed virtually moments after the controversial call was made. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm issued this "statement" via her Twitter account: "As governor, I'm issuing a proclamation declaring Galarraga pitched a perfect game!"
