Please Fully Implement Instant Replay !
I am thoroughly incensed over what occurred in this evening’s game between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians. Detroit defeated the Indians 3-0 on a complete game one-hit shut out by Armando Galarraga (2-1).
Galarraga was about to pitch a perfect game and was only one out away from that happening. With two outs in the top of the 9th inning, Cleveland’s Jason Donald hit a ground ball to Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera made an accurate throw to Galarraga, who was running over to first base to make the play. Galarraga beat Donald to the bag, but first base umpire Tim Joyce called the runner safe when everyone else watching the play except for him saw that the runner was out.
Even though the runner was safe, Galarraga was able to maintain his composure to get the next batter out to finish the complete game shut-out. After the game, Joyce met with Galarraga in the locker room and apologized to him.
“It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the s*** out of it. I just cost that kid a perfect game. I thought that he beat the throw. I was convinced that he beat the throw, until I saw the replay,” Joyce said after the game was over.
This incident proves that instant replay needs to be fully installed within the game of baseball. All of the other sports except for soccer have instant replay. Does baseball want to remain at the same paltry standard set by soccer within the USA? However, MLB commisioner Bud Selig is too milquetoast to change the rule for full implementation of instant replay. He hasn’t changed that dumb rule in the All-Star game that gives the American League the home-field advantage during the World Series, so he doesn’t have the spine to change the instant replay rule.
A baseball game usually lasts three hours. I would rather have a game go three hours and five minutes with all of the contested plays to be called right by checking disputed calls with instant replay rather than going to a game for three hours with at least one call an inning being incorrect. This umpire needs to be fined and suspended.
Other Baseball News
The Texas Rangers regained first place in the AL West with a 9-5 win over the Chicago White Sox while the Oakland Athletics lost 6-4 to the Boston Red Sox.
It is sort of surprising that the Rangers are remaining at the top of the division because of the fact that Rangers ownership filed for bankruptcy protection on May 24th of this year. You would think that the outside possibility of not receiving a game check would distract the players, yet the Rangers continue to fight for first place.
The fight has become even harder because RF Nelson Cruz is once again on the 15-day disabled list for a strained hamstring. This leaves the middle of the lineup with a gaping hole for the next couple of weeks. It also hurts that the Rangers will be playing the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend.
The game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs was postponed until next Monday due to rain. The Pirates and just about every other team in the majors wish that they could play the Cubs every game because Pittsburgh is 7-1 against Chicago. However, the Pirates are a woeful 15-30 against the rest of the league. The game also postponed the return of Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano back into the starting rotation; the experiment in the bullpen failed miserably.
Even though the Pirates sit at a horrible record at 22-31, they have the same record as the Milwaukee Brewers. With the sort of hitters that the Brewers have in their lineup, you would think that they would have a better record. However, the old cliche rings true that pitching and defense wins championships.
For both of these teams, they can be happy that they are not in last place because they are both three games ahead of the worst team in the National League, the Houston Astros. The Astros are so brutal now that ace Roy Oswalt has asked for a trade even though he has repeatedly stated in the past that he wanted to finish his career in Houston.
