Desert Baseball Fans Blame Ump For Botched Perfect Game

There have only been 20 perfect games in major league baseball history, and thanks to a bad call, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was robbed Wednesday of baseball’s 21st perfect game.

The umpire who made the call apologized after the game, and admitted he made a bad call. But, it was too late.

Desert fans were upset, no doubt about it. The replay clearly shows that Galarraga got to first base in time on the infield grounder. The throw also beat the runner, and desert fans said we wouldn’t be having this discussion, though, if instant replay was introduced to baseball.

Kevin Forthum said Armando Galarraga handled the bad call “very well, better than I would have.”

“It was a bad call,” said Elizabeth Solano. “But, that’s what happens sometimes.”

“I would have rung him up no matter what,” said Scott Burcham, a shortstop for the Palm

But, that’s not what happened. Instead, umpire Jim Joyce called the runner at first base safe. The 27th out was recorded on the next play. However, the damage had already been done.

“As an umpire, I was just dumbfounded,” said Forthum. “It was an absolute horrible call.”

Forthum said baseball should implement instant replay for all plays, not just homeruns.

“Maybe not for the whole game,” he said. “But, for the last 6 innings in that situation.”

Elizabeth Solano’s daughter plays softball, and she said instant replay would slow the game down.

“We’d be looking at that all the time to second guess, and you know, the game could last for a longtime,” she said. “We don’t have time for that.”

The Palm Desert High School Aztecs varsity baseball team is preparing for their championship game on Saturday, and coach Darrol Salazar said the way pitcher Armando Galarraga handed himself at the end of the game was a lesson in sportsmanship.

“That kind of shows the rest of the team, when a pitcher can do that, they want to get behind somebody like that,” he explained.

“[Galarraga] just kind of smiled and got to finish the game up,” said Nick Baker, a pitcher for the Aztecs.

Joyce and Galarraga made nice before the game Thursday, but fans say an historic moment was lost on Wednesday night..

“The feeling when that last out [is] made, you all celebrate with your team,” said Burcham. “But, once it’s over, I don’t think you can change it.”

It was not all bad news for Galarraga.

Before the Tigers and Indians game Thursday, General Motors presented him with a brand new Corvette.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig ruled against overturning the bad call, but he did mention that he would examine the expanded use of instant replay.