Detroit Tigers

Major League Baseball can't deny it — the game needs to expand its instant-replay system.

Last postseason, by itself, has proven that.

For instance, the Twins' Joe Mauer hit a blooper down the left-field line in Game Two of Minnesota's series against New York. The ball landed a good half foot inside the line, but, somehow, the foul-line umpire called it foul.

The call might have cost the Twins the game and a chance to make that series interesting.

Bud Selig needs to ponder whether Armando Galarraga should be given his perfect game, which was taken from him by umpire Jim Joyce when he made a horrific call that ruled Jason Donald was safe at first base even though he was clearly out.

Yesterday was a day that had a little of everything, but the one thing most fans will remember will be umpire Jim Joyce making a safe call on a play that should have been the last play of a perfect game for Armando Galarraga.

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.

By now, you've heard about last night's game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians where umpire Jim Joyce blew a call and cost Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game. 

It was a routine call that Jim Joyce blew.  Everyone on the field knew the runner was out at first.  Everyone but Jim Joyce.

In case you have been living under a rock the past week, you've missed perhaps one of the most iconic events in all of Major League Baseball.

The eve that saw Ken Griffey Jr. say goodbye to baseball for good, also brought about a new wave of controversy as veteran World Series umpire Jim Joyce made a horrendous call that cost near-perfect game pitcher Armando Galaragga immortality.

As a fan who has witnessed just about everything in the world of sports, this one stands out as the most odd, and by far the most disappointing.

Two outs. Ninth inning. Armando Galarraga pitching. Eight and two-thirds innings, no hits, no walks, no errors, no HBP. Jason Donald at the plate.

Grounder to first. Flip to Galarraga covering. Donald beat to base. Out. Perfect game. History.

Well, no. It actually went: Donald beat to base. Safe. Blown call. Epic fail costs Galarraga perfection.

In case you missed it tonight, an umpire completely missed the biggest regular season call in the history of the game.

I don't care if I'm exaggerating and don't know much about the history of blown calls, but this has to be high on the list.

Jim Joyce, respected umpire for 22 years, missed a call with two outs in the 9th inning that would have given Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers a perfect game, the third this season.

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.

Armando Galarraga has been robbed of the 21st perfect game in baseball history.

Armando Galarraga threw a perfect game this evening.

Unfortunately, the scoreboard will forever show the Cleveland Indians getting one hit.

Jim Joyce's missed call on the 27th out will most likely go down as the call that instituted instant replay into Baseball.

There have always been controversial calls throughout baseball's history.

However, that has been the beauty of America's game. Human error has always been a factor in the game.

Up until tonight, I loved the fact that baseball didn't use instant replay.