Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 26

4C WWW.FREEP.COM THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2010 E2S5SH5K A PERFECT MISTAKE Instant replay ATCOMERICA PARK Tigers 3, Indians 0 fc ill 1 I ,1 I kjl ii i LT ti 'Tl I 17i i "wssis-v, 1 1. I ill ill iirtTMTrmyTrr IV in U' fj) 5 tl 3 vir KIRTHMON F. OOZIERDetroit Free Press Detroit Tigers scoreboard showing one hit as Armando Galarraga's bid for a perfect game against Cleveland on Wednesday ended in the ninth. I WHAT HAPPENED: Right-hander Armando Galarraga came within one out of throwing the first perfect game in Tigers history. First-base umpire Jim Joyce said after the game he blew the call with two out in the ninth that would have given Galarraga a perfect game.

Galarraga needed only 88 pitches, 67 of which were strikes. I AT LEAST: It was Galarraga's first shutout and first complete game in the majors. I NO MARGIN FOR ERROR: Miguel Cabrera led off the second with a homer. Galarraga guarded the 1-0 lead through the eighth. The Tigers added two in the eighth (one unearned) off Fausto Carmona, who threw his own complete game.

I DIFFERENT: In Galarraga's previous start, a week ago Saturday, he got knocked out in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium, giving up five earned runs. I FORESHADOWING: Galarraga warmed up for this low-pitch effort with a relief outing last Friday. In that one, he needed only 14 pitches to get five outs against Oakland. I TOUGHEST PLAY, FIRST EIGHT INNINGS: 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.

I PLAY OF THE GAME (AND SEASON): Mark Grudzielanek crushed Galarraga's first pitch of the ninth to deep left-center. In many parks, it would have been a homer. Center-fielder Austin Jackson thought he had no chance to catch it when it left the bat. He made a full-speed running catch, extending his glove at the last second with the palm up for the grab. I NO WALKS HERE: Galarraga went to a three-ball count on one batter, Travis Hafner leading off'the fifth.

Hafner fouled out to left on a full count. I TRIPLE CROWN UPDATE: Cabrera's homer was his 15th, putting him one behind league leader Jose Bautista of Toronto. It was his 49th RBI, extending his league lead. Cabrera began the day hitting .347 27 points behind league leader Justin Morneau. -JOHN LOWE Press clippings The Web world lit up Wednesday night over the blown call that cost Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game.

Here's a sampling: Houston Mitchell, LA Times: "Move over, Don Denkinger (an ump who infamously blew a call in the 1985 World Series). There's a new sheriff in town. Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga fell one batter shy of perfection, at least according to first-base umpire Jim Joyce. The fans in Detroit booed Joyce throughout the final at-bat. Some free advice: Shave your mustache and get out of town as soon as possible." Kyle Koster, Chicago Sun-Times: "In what may go down as one of the worst missed calls in baseball history, first-base umpire Jim Joyce ruled Cleveland Indians' Jason Donald safe on what looked to be the 27th out of Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga's perfect game bid." Headline on espn.com: "Perfect crime." San Francisco Chronicle blogger Henry Schulman: "Dear God, what a travesty in Detroit, where Armando Galarraga just lost a perfect game because of a hideous monstrosity of a call by first-base umpire Jim Joyce." Jeff Schultz, Atlanta Journal Constitution: "If you missed it, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga threw a perfect game against the Cleveland Indians Wednesday night.

The only guy who didn't realize it was first base umpire Jim Joyce, who will not be remembered as fondly as James Joyce. Normally, I would have some sympathy for umpires. People make mistakes. The problem is that baseball's officiating crews have a history of being the most obstinate, arrogant and even obnoxious of the four sports' officials." Mark McGuire, Albany (N.Y.) Times Union: "The only person who could be sicker than Detroit Tiger Armando Galarraga for losing his perfect game bid with two outs in the ninth Wednesday is first base umpire Jim Joyce. Cleveland Indian Jason Donald got credited with an infield hit.

But that's not right. There was no hit. Joyce blew the call. Gacked it. Choked.

Watch for yourself. It's not even close." Yahoo Sports blogger Duk: "Tt was a bang-bang play that left two victims dead. The first was the masterful perfect game bid of Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga. The second was the reputation of Major League umpire Jim Joyce." Christine Brennan, USA Today: "If anyone still doubts that Major League Baseball needs instant replay, he or she should consider the big mistake made by first-base umpire Jim Joyce Wednesday night in the ninth inning in Detroit, robbing Armando Galarraga of the Tigers of a perfect game. As mistakes go, it's huge, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for baseball, robbing a worthy pitcher of what would have been the third perfect game of the season.

Commissioner Bud Selig should act immediately for the integrity of the game to get instant replay into baseball on calls such as that one." John J. Miller, National Review Online: "Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was more than perfect tonight. He got his 27th out to complete a perfect game only to have the umpire blow the call, as instant reply makes clear. Then he went back to the mound and got the 28th out. Major League Baseball needs to make this right and give Galarraga a perfect game in the record books." Phil Coffin, New York Times: "There is no provision for review by the umpires of plays like this one during a game.

Do you think there should be?" From our readers Reaction before, after 'The Call' BEFORE I "Galarraga is working quick and looks good." kahuna70 I "I think the home plate ump is 'rooting' for -ohmygoshmom I "I said at the beginning of the game that the Tigers wouldn't score many runs off Carmona tonight so Galarraga would have to do a good job. I never imagined it would go this well." -tigerfan35 AFTER I "Brutal." moparts- I "Jim Joyce is a idiot. For once, I loved Jimmy (Leyland) and Gerald (Laird). That was stolen from the kid. MLB needs to respond.

That was not even close." ckay92 I "This will change baseball. Replay hurts from screaming at the television now." -itdl39 I "It was a bang-bang play but when a perfect game rides on it you side with pitcher." PMFMILW I "Jim Joyce should resign tonight. How do you make a call like that? In that situation?" -me262 I "Cabrera held the ball too long, but the guy was still CLEARLY out." HeyCap-tain I "I just feel sick. I still can't believe it happened." dman0214 I "I know everyone on here hates the guy, but he's going to feel horrible. He's going to be known for this for the rest of his life." vanillaslim I "Why on Earth was Cabrera even fielding that It was hit STRAIGHT at the second baseman.

Easiest play in baseball!" bengalpower I "A major league first, a pitcher retires 28 in a row. If the league has an ounce of integrity it will award the perfect game, it's just the right thing to I "They will be showing replays of that play 30 years from now. ESPN14 probably will have a 30-minute special on it 25 years from tonight." -rackjack56 I "Boy, is (umpiring) home plate tomorrow going to be rough for him." legaleagle82 I "I've questioned Galarraga's place on the pitching roster in recent months. After tonight, at least with me, he gets a lifetime exemption from negative comments." -spartyman I "Congrats to Galarraga. Sending players down to get their game on track appears to be paying big dividends.

Scherzer and now Galarraga." -Micromanage I "The ump went and apologized to Galarraga. He's a class act contrary to what everyone is saying." -turduken I "What impressed me the most about Galarraga's performance was his behavior, his class. No whining, no berating the ump, no woe is me. How refreshing." -jt3a2 said." mikey970 ffh3Wrs More photos and fan comments plus bonus coverage from Wednesday's game 'It's not official, but I got one' Detroit Tigers catcher Gerald Laird upper left, is restrained from going after umpire Jim Joyce after his call in the ninth cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game. ta a 4 I 'T il j- JULIAN H.

GONZALEZDetroit Free Press job. I'm supposed to get it. Cleveland's Vic Wertz in the Galarraga knows it was a perfect game By JOHN LOWE FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER Somehow, Armando Galarraga appeared to be the happiest and calmest person in the Tigers' locker room after Wednesday night's game. As his teammates talked of how he'd been robbed of history, Galarraga kept smiling. He was asked how he was handling the disappointment so well.

"I'm not a super-emotional person," Galarraga said. "I know I did it." "It" was the perfect game. Galarraga was even philosophic as he disclosed his face-to-face meeting in the umpires' room after the game with umpire Jim Joyce, who said he missed the call with two out in the ninth that would have given Galarraga a perfect game. "He feels so bad really bad," Galarraga said of Joyce, more than a half-hour after the game. "He hasn't even changed out of his uniform.

"I don't know how to explain how he's going to "I told him, 'Nobody's What am I going to say?" Joyce, the first-base umpire, told reporters he missed the call with two out in the ninth that would have given Galarraga the perfect game. Joyce ruled that Jason Donald beat Galarraga to the bag as Galarraga took a throw from first baseman Miguel Cabrera. After the game, Joyce saw to his horror that the replay showed Galarraga had beaten Donald. "I feel bad and I feel a little bit sad because he didn't do his Leyland visited Joyce after the game in the umpires' room after receiving word of how shaken Joyce appeared to be. Leyland's visit to Joyce led to Galarraga's.

The manager said he wished a handful of his players hadn't argued with Joyce as they did after the game, but he understood why they did. "That's a pretty sacred thing," Leyland said of the perfect game. "That's the way it goes." What does Leyland think when he saw Miguel Cabrera go to his left for Donald's potential game-ending grounder? "I thought it was going to be a close play, and I was just hoping that Galarraga caught it, so it didn't break it up on something like that," Leyland said. "The play was executed right. In this case, the play was called wrong.

But it's- understandable. They (umpires) are human. "I make mistakes. Players make mistakes. Umpires make mistakes.

It was a tough call. This guy has been a hell of an umpire for a long time and will continue to be. "So you just turn the page and accept it for what it is. Galarraga pitched a perfect game really. The players are saying he got 28 straight outs." After Donald reached, Galarraga retired the next hitter, Trevor Crowe, on a grounder.

Galarraga looked a bit damp afterward. His teammates gave him a beer shower when he entered the clubhouse. "In our mind, that was a perfect game," Jackson said. I CONTACT JOHN LOWE: 313-2234053 OR JLOWEgFPEEPRESS.COM. bveryone knows its so special for any pitcher, in any league, anywhere, to throw a perfect game.

Tomorrow or maybe tonight, I'll realize, 'I got "It's not in the book." Then Galarraga, without pausing, went back to talking about Joyce. "I'm not the kind of guy who would tell him (Joyce), did my job. Why didn't you do yours. Why didn't you do better in that he said. "I understand that nobody's perfect, and it's a hard job." Galarraga added: "Hopefully it will happen again.

But I'll tell you something, I'm going to keep that CD (of the game), and I'll tell my son, got one. It's not in the book. It's not official. But I got If Joyce's call is to be classified as robbery, it wasn't the first robbery of the ninth inning. That belonged to Austin Jackson, with perhaps the most spectacular catch against the Indians by a center fielder in a historic situation since Willie Mays' renowned over-the-shoulder catch on 1954 World Series.

Mark Grudzielanek led off the ninth for Cleveland. As Galarraga tried to get. the final outs, Grudzielanek loomed as particularly difficult. He's a veteran with more than 2,000 hits. Grudzielanek crushed the first pitch of the ninth toward deepest left-center.

As it soared toward the outfield, Galarraga's perfect game appeared to be over. The only question was whether the ball would be a double or a homer. "Off the bat, I definitely didn't think I was going to have a chance to get there," Jackson said. "It hung up there a lot longer than I thought it was going to. As I closed on it, I realized I had a pretty good chance to catch it." Manager Jim Leyland said of Jackson's catch, "They don't get any better than that.

I couldn't believe it." Leyland, who argued vigorously with Joyce after the game, defended the umpire afterward: "Very, very good umpire. Has been a long time. It's unfortunate. It is what it is. "Nobody feels worse than he does right now, I'm sure.".