Last night, in case you are living in a cave or avoid radios, televisions, and the internet for fear that the government will track you, there was a perfect game...almost. In the last inning with two outs an innocent ground to the right side was scooped up by the first baseman who threw the ball to the pitcher covering first. The runner was out, but Jim Joyce called him safe. Joyce obviously made a mistake, but it had to stand. A perfect game was suddenly with one sudden swing of two arms all that was changed.
This game will be remembered for the almost 21st perfect game in major league history lost to a blown call. However, what it should be remembered for is the game that revealed the true characters of two remarkable individuals. Jim Joyce has been a major league umpire since 1987 and is highly regarded as one of the best in the game. Armando Galarraga a young pitcher for the Tigers with his first & likely only shot of his career at a perfect game. What is remarkable about these two is not who they were or what they did, but how they handled the imperfection of the almost perfect game. Jim Joyce owned his mistake something very rare in today's society. He admitted the wrong. He apologized. He took responsibility. Armando Galarraga did something even more rare he forgave.
Joyce cost Galarraga a perfect game because he is human, but because he is better than most he admitted he was wrong and took responsibility.
Galarraga lost something that would have made him live forever in the record books something only a few humans have ever done, but he did something that is against human nature he forgave.
Two individuals that were almost perfect revealed just how close they both might be after all.
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