We all feel for this Gallaraga kid that lost the Perfect Game. But for once, Bud Selig made the right non-call. While it would certainly be justified to correct a mistake by the umpire, handing over a perfect game after the fact would be a bigger mistake.
Its hard to imagine that there is any integrity left in Major League Baseball, but in general, one of its inviolates has been its scoring decisions. Right or wrong, blown call or not, once the next play happens, the call stands. It can not be undone by anyone. The game can be played in protest. The umpires can admit mistakes. But once play resumes, the call stands.
As egregious as this mistake was, coming as it did with the 27th batter in what would have been a perfect game, once the call was made and the next batter entered into the books, the perfect game was over. To reverse that decision and rule that the 27th batter was indeed out and the game was over, would be to say that the 28th batter was never in the game and that the pitcher never pitched to him.
This might have been fine for this one time, but what's to prevent an equally disagreeable call from occurring with the third batter of the game. Same exact situation otherwise. Do you then go back and reverse that call as well? How about home runs that are called foul or doubles or fan-interference? The game could have changed on that call. Do you undo those calls? Let's face it, reversing this call would have opened up a whole can of worms that nobody wants to deal with. At the very least, the 21st Perfect Game would forever carry an asterix and some notoriety as having been called perfect 24 hours or more after the fact.
As it is, this kid will now go down in the history of the sport as having pitched the Perfect Game That Never Was. His feat will be unique in the sport, not just another in a long line of great pitchers who threw perfect games.
On the other hand, I miss steroids. I'm tired of all these damned perfect games. I dig the long ball!
1 comment:
Class act all around.
I agree completely regarding changing the call. Bad calls are a part of the game. If we start now, where does it end?
(BTW, and I write this as a Cardinal fan, for whom the name "Denkinger" is a four-letter word.)
Cheers.
(P.S. We went to Chiricahua in March. Perfect weather.)
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