One could assume after Jim Joyce’s botched call at first robbed Tigers’ pitcher Armando Galarraga of a perfect game, all the columnists and talking heads would weigh in on the controversy.
But who would have guessed political figures ranging from governor to presidents would have their say?
Between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez giving a nod of approval to the native-born pitcher and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm declaring Galarraga’s performance perfect, the debate has been spirited to say the least. But one local congressman is trying to take the perfect game to Washington, D.C.
John D. Dingell, D-Mich., will introduce a resolution calling on Major League Baseball to overturn Joyce’s call that changed Galarraga’s game from perfect to a one-hitter.
“Jim Joyce missed the call, but because he admitted it, we have a leg to stand on in our case to Major League Baseball,” Dingell said in a release. “Baseball’s executives have corrected a mistake on the field in a regular-season game before – the pine tar game. This is the right thing to do and if getting this resolution passed makes it easier, I’m glad to help.”
The “pine tar game” Dingell is referring to involved a game played between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees on July 24, 1983. George Brett’s game-winning home run was nullified because of improper use of pine tar but was reversed later by then-American League president Lee MacPhail.
“In my eyes, Galarraga is already part of a special and exclusive group – for this has only happened 21 times before in the long history of Major League Baseball. In fact, you could argue he’s in a class by himself – the only pitcher to face 28 hitters in a perfect game,” Dingell said. “Umpire Joyce made a colossal blunder, but if we can reverse it, he will have played a huge role in righting the wrong. If Mr. Joyce had not quickly and honestly admitted his error, the groundswell to make this right might not be so strong.”
