Blown perfect game... by the umpire

[DaveTV1]

You guys just miss the point of the game completely...while the waiting might seem boring and slow to a lot of people, that is what makes the game great. It's the anticipation of the guy getting a clutch base hit or working out of a bases loaded situation, or Galaragga pitching a perfect game until the 27th batter...

 

 

I didn't say it was boring. I said there never was a flow to the game. What's one more distraction to it ? They've shot t-shirts into the stands, there's the 7th Inning Stretch. The question I was answering was when hasn't the game of baseball not been delayed by anything. What's a 3 minute delay going to do ? I didn't say they needed to speed the game up.

[DaveTV1]

The flow would be when runners are on base, and a play is reviewed. If the play was originally an out and is overturned, what happens to the runners? In football it's easy just to replay the down, it's all little bit more complicated than that in baseball with runners in motion.

 

If you overturn a fly out, how many bases do you award the batter?

 

Too many variables in baseball to have widespread replay IMO.

 

 

If it was ruled that it wasn't an out, the base runners should be given the base that they were at when the call came into question. If they scored, they scored . If it was an out, but the runners continued on to home plate, do just like they do when the call comes into question when a player fails to step on a base or home plate. The pitcher doesn't start the next pitch to the batter, and throws the runners out at the appropriate bases. The inning is over.

 

If the pitcher doesn't call the play into question, and pitches to the next batter, then they didn't make a protest. There's an easy solution to this.

 

On another tangent, how many times has a batter stepped out of the batters box for a "time out" ? How many times does a catcher confer with his pitcher on the mound as a "time out" ? There isn't a flow to baseball.

 

 

[TripleDogDare]

The magical game of baseball is not pure. It is one of the most corrupt sports in the history of American team sports. It's time for Baseball to allow for at least 3 manager question calls per game for instant replay. This reiterates how flawed the wonderful game of baseball is. It would have only taken 45 seconds to review this play, and 15 seconds to throw a flag or what not. This is a travesty, and has added another black eye to the great game. Life may not be fair, but at least there are recourses that we have available to us. Bud Selig should grant the appeal and award the perfect game. This is why protests are allowed in baseball for all the purists out there.

 

For me, the idea of the commissioner overturning an on-the-field call is even worse than the thought of expanded instant replay. I don't think he has or at least he shouldn't have that authority. And on a procedural note, how would the official scorer handle that in the scorebook?

 

To partially salvage this situation, I think a different call should have been reversed. With the missed out call, the batter had to be awarded a hit. However, after the game, the official scorer could have changed this scoring decision. (This is not uncommon.) He could have ruled the play an error - say, a late toss by the 1B. This would have left Galarraga with a no-hitter; not quite the achievement of a perfect game, but notable nonetheless. A side benefit is that the batter would not have been credited with an undeserved base hit. The only downside is that the error call is incorrect and thus, a bit unethical. However, it's much less of a farce than a commissioner stepping in and overruling a call.

 

It's a shame Galarraga came so close to perfection and then lost it in that way. But, truth is, he will probably become more famous and be more remembered for his almost perfect game (and the classy way he handled it) than he would have for throwing an actual perfect game.

[cheaptrick77]

after the game, the official scorer could have changed this scoring decision. (This is not uncommon.) He could have ruled the play an error - say, a late toss by the 1B.

 

I like the thinking outside of the proverbial "box", but an official scorer cannot overrule an umpire's judgement call ... and I am not sure it is a good idea to create such a precedence.

[TripleDogDare]

I like the thinking outside of the proverbial "box", but an official scorer cannot overrule an umpire's judgement call ... and I am not sure it is a good idea to create such a precedence.

 

I was not suggesting that the scorer overrule the umpire, just that he reverse his own original decision. There are two separate calls. The umpire decides safe or out. If safe, the official scorer must decide hit or error. The scorer could have ruled the play an error after the fact. This would not have contradicted the umpire's safe call and it would have preserved the no hitter. I do agree with you about the precedence of allowing someone off the field to overrule an umpire. That's why I was against the commissioner doing it.

 

Back to the incorrect umpire call: From time to time, I see umpire crews huddle up after a play to ensure they "get it right". Very rarely, I see one umpire overrule another. But it happened in a game Friday night. The 3B ump made a call at 3B from about 10 feet away. The 1B ump overruled him from across the diamond! (Turns out the 1B ump was correct.) So, why didn't Joyce's crewmates bail him out and overturn his call? Surely they saw it. With no baserunners, they had no other responsibilities. I think they bear some of the fault as well.

[cheaptrick77]

the official scorer must decide hit or error

OK ... I see what you are suggesting now :) ...but I would still be against an official scorer changing a scoring decision simply to “tidy up” a situation. Nothing about the play resembled an error ... except for ... (man, this is too easy) ... EU ... :rofl:

[ramsn03]

That needs to be a new scoring category Cheaptrick, you should make millions with that idea.