Ex-Detroit Tigers Pitcher Armando Galarraga Petitions for Perfect Game Call Reversal

In June 2010, Detroit Tigers then-pitcher Armando Galarraga threw what he thought to be a perfect game. He retired 27 straight batters, however, the last one was riddled with controversy.

The final 27th batter happened to be an incorrect safe call by the first-base umpire Jim Joyce, cutting Galarraga’s streak at the end. 

Since then, Joyce has owned up to his mistake, famously saying he “kicked the shit out of that call.” Joyce said that he was sick over the situation, knowing that he snatched the chance of a perfect game away from a pitcher at the final out. 

The next day, Galarraga gave the Tigers lineup card to Joyce at home plate. Apparently, Joyce was visibly in tears. Interestingly enough, the two formed a friendship from that situation, and even ended up writing a book together, Nobody’s Perfect.

Now ten years later, the former Tigers’ pitcher wants the league to overturn that safe call so his game can officially be considered “perfect.”

“I was like, what can I do to have a better finish to the story?” Galarraga says. “How can Major League Baseball give me the perfect game? Because it was perfect, right?”

Joyce given his approval for the overturning of Galarraga’s one-hit shutout. 

“In this case, I see absolutely zero harm to changing the call. The only fallout would be having to add Galarraga to the list of pitchers to have thrown a perfect game,” Joyce said. “There are officially 23. Major League Baseball: Make the list 24. Armando threw a perfect game. We all saw it. Make it official.”

Article by Andrew Wallman