Ump Screws Up Call – Ruins Perfect Game for Galarraga (video)

I don’t generally follow sports but from time to time something happens that deserves attention and the blown call by an umpire officiating at first base is no exception. Here is the story from ABC:

With only one out to go, a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers was on the verge of one of baseball‘s loftiest and rarest accomplishments — a pefect game — until one blown call cost him a place in the record books.

The Tigers’ Armando Galarraga had not allowed a single hitter to reach base through eight and two-thirds innings when Jason Donald of the Cleveland Indians hit a ground ball towards first.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera cleanly fielded the ball and tossed it to Galarraga, who was covering first, seemingly in time to get Donald out.

In a call that’s sure to go down in infamy for Tigers fans for generations to come, umpire Jim Joyce spread his arms wide, pronouncing Donald safe.

The call was immediately disputed by Tigers manager Jim Leyland and several other players and instant replays showed that Donald was clearly out. The nearly 18,000 fans at Detroit’s Comerica Field, many clearly irate, launched into rancous booing. Here’s the video. You be the judge:

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