On Wednesday the Detroit Tigers were playing the Cleveland Indians and a controversial call by first base umpire Jim Joyce cost the Detroit pitcher, Armando Galarraga, the pitcher Holy Grail, a perfect game.
Put simply, a perfect game is one where during the course of nine innings (or more if it goes into extra innings!) no opposition player makes it to first base. Three outs make an innings so in a nine inning game twenty seven batsmen are retired without making it to base.
Does that make sense, maybe, maybe not! A detailed explanation here.
Only twenty perfect games have been thrown in Major League history so it's a big deal when it happens. Strangely there have been two perfect games so far in the 2010 season, which has prompted quite a lot of debate about why, when in the past they have been so rare, perfect games are occurring more frequently.
Some commentators are saying that with the steroid scandals and subsequent drug controls, pitchers are now facing batters who aren't, for want of a better phrase, drugged up to the eyeballs.
Others are saying that it is still a random event as opposed to evidence of a changing game. Whatever the reason, it certainly makes for interesting viewing on ESPN :)
Anyway, back to video evidence. If baseball used it Armando Galarraga would be the third pitcher in 2010 to achieve a perfect game. They don’t so he has to make do with a little red Corvette!
In the NHL video evidence is regularly used to review tight goal/no goal calls. Funnily enough in game three of the Stanley Cup finals, also on Wednesday, goal-line technology was used twice and not so strangely the correct decision was made both times, one good goal given and one no goal not!
There is also a lot of debate about the use of goal-line technology in football and with the start of the World Cup only a week away (WOO HOO!!) the events in America again bring into focus how important it is for sport to embrace the ability to make non-questionable, clear-cut decisions.
There are plenty of recent examples in English football where goal-line technology would have made a difference in games, good goal not given, no goal given. But the door has been closed by FIFA.
I just hope that FIFA don't rue their decision to categorically rule out its use. Hopefully there won't be an incident like this…
…even if it does work in England's favour.
There has been quite an end to Wednesday’s events in Detroit. At the time Jim Joyce was the man who made the worst call in baseball history but on Thursday the often-overlooked sportsmanship of fans and players meant that Jim has quite a moving afternoon at Tiger Field.
He'd already apologised for the blown call and it has been reported that there were quite emotional scenes during the pre-game formalities with Jim and Armando Galarraga shaking hands during the line-up handover. Humans make mistakes and they often add to the allure of sport. Jim Joyce made a really bad call but has stood up, taken the criticism and apologised for his mistakes. If referees in England did the same us fans would have a lot more respect for them.
Stuart Attwell take note!
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