Day 167- Armando Galarraga
While this has not been the best year ever for Tiger-- or the Tigers, for that matter-- tonight was an incredible night for one Tiger in particular.
Armando Galarraga pitched a perfect game.
It may not go down that way in the history books, but it happened. All those fans in the stadium knew it instantly. So did Cabrera. So did everyone watching the game on t.v. and everyone who watched the replay afterwards. The Cleveland Indians knew it. Heck, even Jim Joyce knew it as soon as he saw the controversial play-heard-round-the-world a second time.
What is just as amazing as this perfect game is the sportsmanship of its perfect pitcher. Robbed of his greatest accomplishment, Galarraga reacted, according to all accounts, with the utmost integrity, grace, and class.
"He really feel bad. He probably feel more bad than me," Galarraga told Fox Sports Detroit. "Nobody's perfect, everybody's human. I understand. I give a lot of credit to the guy saying, 'Hey, I need to talk to you because I really say I'm sorry.' That don't happen. You don't see an umpire after the game say I'm sorry."
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/tom_verducci/06/02/joyces.missed.call/index.html?eref=sihp#ixzz0pl771DaT
With that, Galarraga, the most unlikely of heroes, earned his status as a legend in my eyes. This is beautifully stated in an article on SI.com. I love sports writers.
"The man threw a perfect game and had it ripped out of his hands -- and yet he responded with grace and professionalism, a wry smile and the remarkable cool to climb right back up on the mound and get the 28th out. Galarraga should be remembered for not what he lost, but for what he gained: a place in posterity as sportsmanship personified."
Maybe baseball will finally get an instant replay. Maybe they can name it after Galarraga. "Oooh... that's a close call. Let's check the Galarraga on that one."
Thank you, Armando Galarraga, you made my day.
Armando Galarraga pitched a perfect game.
It may not go down that way in the history books, but it happened. All those fans in the stadium knew it instantly. So did Cabrera. So did everyone watching the game on t.v. and everyone who watched the replay afterwards. The Cleveland Indians knew it. Heck, even Jim Joyce knew it as soon as he saw the controversial play-heard-round-the-world a second time.
What is just as amazing as this perfect game is the sportsmanship of its perfect pitcher. Robbed of his greatest accomplishment, Galarraga reacted, according to all accounts, with the utmost integrity, grace, and class.
"He really feel bad. He probably feel more bad than me," Galarraga told Fox Sports Detroit. "Nobody's perfect, everybody's human. I understand. I give a lot of credit to the guy saying, 'Hey, I need to talk to you because I really say I'm sorry.' That don't happen. You don't see an umpire after the game say I'm sorry."
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/tom_verducci/06/02/joyces.missed.call/index.html?eref=sihp#ixzz0pl771DaT
With that, Galarraga, the most unlikely of heroes, earned his status as a legend in my eyes. This is beautifully stated in an article on SI.com. I love sports writers.
"The man threw a perfect game and had it ripped out of his hands -- and yet he responded with grace and professionalism, a wry smile and the remarkable cool to climb right back up on the mound and get the 28th out. Galarraga should be remembered for not what he lost, but for what he gained: a place in posterity as sportsmanship personified."
Maybe baseball will finally get an instant replay. Maybe they can name it after Galarraga. "Oooh... that's a close call. Let's check the Galarraga on that one."
Thank you, Armando Galarraga, you made my day.
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