Jim Joyce's safe call: The worst in history?

Yes that was the worst call I have ever seen. Armando Galarraga was robbed of a feeling that only twenty other people in the history of baseball have felt. This should have been the third perfect game within the last month. I am sure that Armando Galarraga will have another chance at pitching a perfect game though. Seventy-six percent of the pitches that Armando Galarraga threw were stikes. It is one thing that Jim Joyce made a bad call, but on the final out of what should have been a perfect game is unacceptable. I would expect this bad of a call by a rookie umpire, not by a veteran umpire with twenty-two years of experience. At least Jim Joyce acknowledged the fact that he had missed the call and apologized. I think that the MLB should seriously look into changing the rules of instant replays. It is a shame that Jim Joyce robbing Armando Galarraga of a perfect game is overshadowing the fact that Ken Griffey Jr. retired today.

Bud Selig: he oversaw baseball for the duration of the steroid era and did no longer do a element to end it, I doubt he lost any sleep over this. Armando Galarraga: however uncommon, suited video games are not that uncommon (extraordinarily this season). regardless of the incontrovertible fact that, no longer getting a suited interest using blown call on the final out is unique - he would be continually remembered for this. For me, that's the non-suited video games like from Galarraga that are certainly greater memorable - which includes Pedro Martinez going suited by using 9 in a 0-0 interest yet giving up a double interior the tenth which ended up giving him the a million-0 loss, or whilst Harvey Haddix went suited by using 12 innings which replace into broken up interior the thirteenth by technique of an blunders allowing a batter on base. Jim Joyce: this variation into his interest - he made a huge blunders to fee a participant a suited interest, he felt worse by technique of a few distance.

Worst call in sports history. A lot of people will bring up Don Denkinger's call in the 1985 world series as the worst, but the Cardinals still had to give up 2 runs to make that all look stupid. This is clearly the worst ever because it wasn't even a close play. He was out by a full step. I could watch 1000 games and not see that obvious of a call blown. This call will go down as the biggest blunder in the history of sports, and it isn't even close.

Yes, it's sad that Joyce's 22 years of quality umpiring doesn't mean anything anymore because this one call is the only thing people will remember, but really, think about it.

Tim Kurkjian says that this was an easy call, and he was clearly out. He says that umpires make this call "100,000 out of 100,001 times".

Besides that fact, even if it was a tie, most umpires would call him out. It's benefit of the doubt. Joe Morgan talked about it. When a guy is that hot, retiring 26 batters in a row, and forcing a groundball to the 27th guy, if the play is close, you call him out.

A previous answerer said to give Joyce a break. I completely agree. I umpire youth baseball and there is no worse feeling than knowing you got a call wrong. Your face gets hot, your stomach drops, you replay the play over and over again, and it is downright agonizing.

People are upset because of the magnitude of the situation. It is a once-in-a-lifetime milestone for Galarraga yes, but I have seen worse.

Richie Garcia ruled a ball hit by Derek Jeter to be a home run in the 1996 ALCS. It reality, Jeter should have been called out because of fan interference (Jeff Maier).

Prior to the use of instant replay, there were a ton of blown home run calls.

I just hope that Joyce's illustrious career is not defined by this one moment.

Okay. I've got one thing to say for this. I was watching the Cardinals/Reds game after that game, and in case none of you were, they called up Curt Schilling to give his opinion on the matter. Curt defended Joyce. Of course, Curt didn't say that the runner was safe, but he says that he can understand. He feels sorry for Joyce (as everyone actually should), because now his 22 year umpiring career is in the toilet. Schilling commented that he has massive respect for Joyce, and places him in the top 3 of the best umpires of the time.

And honestly, you have to wonder just how nerve racking a call like that would be. Of course, the players themselves would be under enormous stress, but it would make sense that the umpires are under even more stress, seeing as one single call by them can drastically change the course of an entire game, even a season. If you were Jim Joyce, do you not think that there is the slightest possibility that you would have felt overwhelmed by the entire situation? He knows he made the wrong call. He's going to be haunted by that for the rest of his life. Give him a break.

Not even close to the worst call in history.

Jim Joyce had to make the call in real time, while watching the pitcher catch the ball, the runner's foot and the pitcher's foot. Joyce doesn't have the benefit of 3 different camera angles as well as knowing what's going to happen like everybody else. When I saw it in full speed I couldn't tell if he was safe or out. It was only when I saw the replay when I saw that Donald was safe.

It was an unfortunate call that cost the pitcher a perfect game but it was no way the worst call in history. Early in Halladay's perfect game he threw a pitch with 3 balls on the batter that wasn't even close to the plate and the umpire called it a strike.

If Miguel Cabrerra's plays his position instead of the second baseman's position it's not an issue.

edit: Baseball has been going on for about 140 years. There's been 100's of calls worst than this one. This call probably has the biggest effect on history but to call it the "worst in history" and a "horrible call" is incorrect. If you want to include other sports then you're adding even more "horrible calls". In 1990 Colorado won a college football game when they got a fifth down on the last play of the game (link below) which helped them win a National Championship. An NBA ref was sent to jail for fixing games. And don't get me started on traveling calls or lack thereof.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Down_Game_(1990...

Did everyone forget Joe Mauer's Extra inning ground rule double in Game 2 of the ALDS last year?

The 3rd base umpire didn't even bother to look if the ball landed in fair territory.

Joyce wasn't able to watch everything at once.

There's nothing we can do about it. Umpires are human and humans make mistakes.

The whole world knew that the runner was out, except for Jim Joyce.

Probably the worst call in MLB History.

Nah, I'd say Don Derkinger's blown call in the 9th inning of the 1985 World Series was worse. It pretty much cost the Cardinals the championship.