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Never before have I heard a home crowd irate after their pitcher just fired a one-hitter. Unfortunately, that was the case in Detroit last night.

Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Armando Galarraga was working on trying to become the third pitcher in the last month to throw a perfect game. He had retired 26 batters in a row in a truly dominant performance.

Then came up Cleveland Indians SS Jason Donald.

On a 1-1 pitch, Donald hit a slow roller between first and second, which first baseman Miguel Cabrera ranged over to his right to field. With Galarraga covering the bag at first, Cabrera threw the ball to Galarraga who stepped on first.

The game appeared to be over, and Galarraga just threw the 21st perfect game in baseball history.

But it was not meant to be.

First base umpire Jim Joyce called Donald safe.

It was a bang-bang call, but Donald was clearly out. In that spot and situation, it might go down as one of the worst regular season calls in baseball history.

Joyce ruined history. Galarraga went on to record the final out, and pitch a one-hitter, but it wasn’t the same. It might have been the most depressing one-hitter ever.

With a perfect game on the line, there is no way you can call Donald safe on that play. Even if he was safe, you call him out. Trust me, nobody in Cleveland would have cared.

And if you watch replays (I am sure we will get them shoved down our throats in the next 24 hours) you will see Joyce almost start to call Donald out and then change his mind. I am really not sure what he saw in that split second to switch his decision.

While unfortunately Joyce’s bad call will be the highlight of the game, there were a lot of other good things that came out of it. Here were some of the good points.

How about the pitching in MLB this year! Three perfect games in less than 30 days—are you kidding?

Galarraga threw 88 pitches ,and 67 of them were strikes!

Galarraga threw first pitch strikes to 24 of the 28 batters he faced.

Galarraga coming into last night averaged 91 mph on his fastball. He topped out at 94 and averaged 92 mph on his fastball against the Indians.

This entire game took one hour and 44 minutes. That’s old school.

Fausto Carmona was no slouch either. He gave up only two earned runs over eight compete innings, and took just 96 pitches to do so.

Austin Jackson’s catch on Mark Grudzielanek to lead off the ninth inning was Willie Mays-esque. It was just an amazing catch to preserve the perfect game at the time.

Another point that will be made from this game will be the call for more instant replay in baseball. I don’t believe in instant replay; I am more for getting better umpires. I just don’t understand why baseball and all sports for that matter can’t hire younger, more athletic umpires who can keep up with the pace of today’s athletes.

Whatever baseball decides to do, this game was another black eye for the umpires that cost a pitcher a magical night.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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As a baseball fan, witnessing a perfect game is something you want to see, even if it’s happening to your own team.

Granted, being on the losing end of a perfect game isn’t as fun as being on the winning end, but when something that rare happens in front of you, it makes for a special evening.

What makes the almost-perfect game thrown last night by Armando Galarraga so interesting from a Cleveland Indians fan’s standpoint is that the Indians ended up benefiting big time from what will go down as one of the worst blown calls in history.

Because Jim Joyce got it wrong, there is no 21st perfect game, third of the 2010 season, in the record books today.  There only is a one-hit shutout.

As everyone reads the blogs and watches ESPN or the MLB Network, the talk is going to revolve around expanding instant replay in baseball, but it’s a little late for Galarraga on that point.

For Indians fans, this loss is just yet another in a season that rapidly has become more about how team ownership is trying to live through the consequences of one bad business decision after another than trying to contend.

Jason Donald, a rookie, now forever will be the answer to a trivia question if nothing else, although he’s showed a lot of promise in his short time with the club.

Lost in Galarraga’s brilliant performance was the fact that Indians starting pitcher Fausto Carmona also had a great night.

Carmona struck out three and allowed two earned runs in eight innings. He threw 96 pitches, 66 for strikes, giving up a leadoff homer to Miguel Cabrera in the second. The Tigers added two more runs in the eighth.

Indians fans today are shrugging their shoulders over the matter even though as baseball fans we’ll readily admit it was a bad call. Joyce has to live with this, and so does Galarraga.

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An hour and forty-four minutes is the time it takes to go from beleaguered AAA pitcher, to a man who nearly flirted with perfection.

Let’s retract that.

An hour and forty-four minutes is the time it takes to go from beleaguered AAA pitcher, to a man who threw a perfect game.

And don’t let Jim Joyce try to tell you otherwise.

In fact, he won’t even tell you otherwise.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” My hands flew to my face, I felt my knees and voice shake with disbelief and thoughts of “Well, they’re going to change the rules for instant replay now,” went through my head as I witnessed the unbelievable play unfold.

I stood there and watched as Miguel Cabrera an Jim Joyce jawed at each other, I stood there and watched the game end on another weak ground ball, I stood there and watched Jim Leyland scream at the entire umpiring crew and shook my head as they just listened. Because each and every one knew that they had not only just blown a call, but a call that destroyed a perfect game.

Questions are being asked, opinions are being stated, and Jim Joyce is now thrust onto the worst kind of national stage that any human being can ask for.

So what went through his head? How did a man with 22 years of professional experience blow a call that he makes 99.99 percent of the time?

What was he thinking as he saw Jason Donald fly down the line, as Cabrera ranged to his right, lead the ball towards Armando Galarraga who arrived at first, caught it in the webbing of his glove, let it slide into the pocket, and step on first milliseconds before Donald’s foot touched the base.

What did he really see on a play that he was in perfect position to call? What was he thinking?

He was thinking that he didn’t want to blow the call, call Donald out, and find out afterwards that people are claiming he just gave the Tiger’s the game on a controversial play.

So, he wasn’t sure and called him safe.

But the problem was, the play wasn’t really that close.  

It’s a call that has simply stunned the baseball—and really, the sports—world.

Jim Joyce denied Armando Galarraga and the Tiger’s a feat that is so unreal that it can even crack a grin on the face of Roy Halladay.

What has he done (And I’m sure he’s asking himself that question)?

You can play it off as human error, but how much can you give a man who, after 22 years in baseball, has made himself the new Bill Buckner of baseball.

In doing so, he may have changed the face of baseball going forward.

We are going to hear screams upon screams of protests for instant replay over the next few weeks and months, and perhaps, until the commissioner responds. That is justified, because never before have we had a circumstance like this.

Let’s try to break this down.

Three perfect games in a month.

What are the odds? Seriously, what are the odds?

This would have been an unbelievable feat in major league baseball and because Joyce froze and tried to show how unbiased he was by blowing the call, he has stripped baseball of unprecedented attention.

But at the same time, the attention that will be thrust upon Joyce will be unprecedented as well, and we won’t even be able to comprehend how much stress and pressure that he is now under; The entire nation knows that he blew the call, and for that, how can baseball discipline the man. They can’t because he made a simple mistake that in any other situation would be simply shrugged off.

But on this stage, with these circumstances, the call was inexcusable. If he was not sure, he should have pointed toward home or second or third for confirmation. If he was not sure, let another umpire make the call, it happens more often than people realize.

But he did not and he ruined a great thing for Armando Galarraga, the Detroit Tigers, the fans, and the entire baseball community tonight, and that is what his legacy will be.

Armando Galarraga pitched a perfect game tonight and he did not get credit for it.

That’s all anyone will talk about as they shake their heads and wait to see how this situation unfolds.

Media’s initial take:

TMI

Yahoo

MLB

ESPN

Jim Joyce

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For the first time in his life, Armando Galarraga was ready to put himself into the record books.

Ready to become the 21st man to throw a perfect game, Armando faced 28 batters, all of them failing to reach base. Until, second to last batter ( unfortunately), reaches base safely on a base hit, but what should have been the third out of the inning.

Umpire Jim Joyce clearly missed the call, which has brought the entire MLB world in shock and anger.

What will this do? Bring a whole new conversation about the use of instant replay in baseball. If replay is used, the call is made, and everyone turns out happy. It would take just a few minutes, and every would be talking about the positives of the third perfect game.

The major league season has consisted of dominant pitching, and these multiple perfect games and no hitters are examples.

Action does need to be taken. In his latest tweet, Adam Schefter suggests that Bud Selig overrule the decision and make the perfect game happen. If it doesn’t, hell will be ready to break lose.

But, this would never happen if we used instant replay more often. For the people who say this isn’t football, and it takes away from the sport, what is your opinion now?

And for the owners who voted against the bigger use of replay, will strongly reconsider, knowing one man has been ripped of history by one call.

Matt Miselis is a writer for BleacherReport.com

Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/MattMiselis

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In what will only be considered the biggest blown call in the history of Major League Baseball, Armando Galarraga’s perfect game was brutally stolen from him by the cold-hearted first base umpire, Jim Joyce.

It was the ninth inning with two outs, and Galarraga had thrown just 87 pitches before Jason Donald softly grounded one to the hole in second base, where Miguel Cabrera fielded it and threw it to first where Galarraga himself stood. He caught the ball, and the game was seemingly over. Cabrera had already started celebrating. Then, in a heart-crushing blow, Joyce spread his arms wide open, and the stadium of 17,000 fans fell silent. 

Donald himself nearly collapsed, as he held his head in shock. Galarraga smirked, knowing that his claim to fame had been taken away from him. Cabrera was fuming, and he continued to until well after the game, while Joyce was surrounded by the Tigers following the 3-0, one-hit win. 

The inning started with a deep fly out to center, where Austin Jackson took a page out of Willie Mays by making a spectacular basket catch over the shoulder. Mike Redmond then grounded out to short, and it was all but done before Donald was able to reach on the first “hit” of the game. 

The announcers for FSN Detroit were besides themselves, trying to contain their anger for Joyce. Tigers manager Jim Leyland had to do the same, as he was clearly upset following the play. 

This will no doubt be considered a historic play, however, its potential repercussions could be immediate.

This story will possibly be more talked about considering the controversy around it.

This is going to obviously promote the case for the use of instant replay, which has been a controversial topic in recent years. In addition, one has to be interested about the future of 22-year umpiring veteran Joyce. Will he be able to show his face on a field again?

He single-handedly ruined this perfect game. 

Just to note, it would have been the third perfect game this month, but just the 21st in the history of the game. 

Sorry Armando, it may not be official, but you deserve it.

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Eight and two—thirds perfect innings.

Everyone agrees it is that 27th out that is the hardest. There was Jason Donald hitting a slow roller to first and hustling down the line.

Armando Galarraga beat him to the bag. He knew it. Miguel Cabrera celebrated. Jason Donald knew he’d been thrown out.

But, Jim Joyce, the first base umpire, saw it differently.

And, sadly, to the history books that is all that matters. 

The game just ended and if you haven’t heard what happened to Armando Galarraga yet, I’d be shocked. 

The 27th batter was erroneously called safe.

Go check Facebook and Twitter. Pure outrage. And, I don’t even know people from Detroit.

I wouldn’t be surprised if umpire Jim Joyce is placed under police protection while he remains in Detroit.

This could have all been avoided. If MLB were to adopt a NFL—like replay challenge system, everyone would be much happier.

Armando Galarraga would have his perfect game. The 21st in MLB history, and the third this year. Incredible really.

Instead here we are, mourning as a baseball nation. Hating Jim Joyce. Wishing we could do something for Galarraga, but feeling helpless instead.

In another world Jim Leyland would have thrown a red flag from his pocket without leaving the dugout. The crew chief would go review the play and discover that Jason Donald had been, in fact, thrown out by a solid two feet.

Sounds simple doesn’t it?

Give the manager a challenge or two per game. Allow the umpires the discretion to review close plays in game—changing situations. If there were ever a time to push for it, it’s now. 

The baseball world would throw their full support behind an idea that would prevent such travesties as what happened to Galarraga. 

The one downside? Adding time to already lengthy games.

But when human error can change baseball history, instant replay needs to be extended in some form in MLB. 

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Don’t mess with perfection… unless perfection has already been messed with.

Bud Selig must look at the tape, overturn the ninth inning call made by first base umpire Jim Joyce and award the 21st perfect game in major league history to Armando Antonio Galarraga.

The 28-year old Tigers right hander dealt the Cleveland Indians eight flawless innings before taking the mound in Detroit with only Mark Grudzielanek, Mike Redmond and Jason Donald standing between him and history.

Grudzielanek sent a screamer to center, only to be robbed by Austin Jackson and a no-hit-preserving-catch that would make DeWayne Wise jealous.

Redmond grounded out to short.

26 up, 26 down.

Then on a 1-1 pitch, Donald sent a roller to the right side, gobbled up by Miguel Cabrera, who flipped to Galarraga covering for the exclamation point.

Except the only punctuation was that which followed expletives across baseball.

Jim Joyce made a call he’ll forever regret. One which will undermine the rest of his career. One which replay clearly refutes beyond any reasonable doubt.

“Safe.”

If there was ever a case for allowing the men in blue to expand the use of video review, this is it.

But that option was not on the table for the crew in Detroit.

This one should be: Commissioner Bud Selig should review the call Wednesday night, overturn it, and award a perfect game to Galarraga.

No asterix needed.

Unprecedented? Maybe. The right thing to do? For Galarraga and Joyce’s sake, absolutely.

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