I have preached several sermons on the lessons of life that can be learned from baseball. I've thought that maybe I'll submit it for publication some day, but we learned another valuable lesson last night.
In 1880, the first two professional perfect games were thrown just five days apart. No one really realized the significance at the time, but the next one was not thrown for 24 years. Since that time it has been one of the rarest events in baseball, and two have not been thrown in the same season until this year.
In the top of the ninth inning with two outs last night, Detroit's Armando Galarraga stood just one out away from perfection. It would have been the third perfect game this year. Instead, Galarrago lost not only a perfect game but a no hitter as well when first base umpire Jim Joyce ruled that Jason Donald was safe, even though the ball beat him by a step. Galarraga is not the first person to lose a perfect game with only one out to go, but maybe his is the most painful because he actually should have had it.
But here is where the story teaches us a lesson. Joyce says he was convinced at the time that Donald was safe, but immediately after seeing the replay admitted he was wrong and apologized. He then asked to see Galarraga and tearfully apologized to him for the mistake. It takes a very strong person to make such a claim, especially with what was on the line. It is not often that anyone stands up to apologize and ask for forgiveness this way, let along a professional umpire. Even more upstanding was Galarraga's response.
He did not yell at Joyce either after the play or after the third out was recorded. Instead he went about his job, and then expressed remorse for Joyce and what he was going through. Galarraga took the high road and this speaks just as highly of him. Had Galarraga expressed anger and frustration few people would have blamed him, but he didn't.
Compare that to Jason Bartlett, who, after throwing his perfecto earlier this season, continued to harp about A-Rod for an event that happened several weeks before. Instead of enjoying what should be the greatest moment of his career, he went somewhere he didn't need to go.
I'm currently reading A Mistake Was Made, But Not by Me, in which the author talks about cognitive dissonance and the mind's desire to rectify this situation by justifying decisions even if they are wrong. This prevents many people from ever being able to admit they made a mistake. Now magnify that and have to admit that you not only made a mistake, but then apologize for it and ask for forgiveness on national television, without being forced into it.
Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga, you have both held yourselves up to the highest standards and I applaud you. We can learn from your example of always taking the high ground, of recognizing when we are wrong and asking for forgiveness, and then showing respect and dignity to those whom we have harmed and those who harmed us.
Update: MLB gave Joyce the option of not participating in the final game of the series today, but, again to his great credit, he said he was going to do his job. He could have taken the day off and gotten out of town, but he was willing to stand there and take what he knew would come to him. Jim Leyland then sent Galarraga out with the line-up card and they shook hands at home plate. Leyland had also encouraged the fans to applaud Joyce for his actions rather than booing him. Class acts all around.
Bud Selig, on the other hand, had the opportunity to overturn last night's call under his "best interest of the game" clause and decided not to. Some have said he couldn't because it would set a precedent. What precedent is he setting? How many perfect games have been blown with two outs in the ninth inning by a bad call? Only one that anyone is aware of. If by chance at some point in the future exactly the same situation came up then there would be a precedent set, but to me that's a good precedent to have. It would not change anything else, other than that Donald would lose his hit. This situation cannot be compared to other situations because it did not lead to a run or a rally. Galarraga easily retired the next batter. Selig could have made a change and he decided not to. Instead, I think the leadership of the MLB and the UMC are remarkably the same (see my post from yesterday).
Finally, good to see that David Huff made his regularly scheduled start today for Cleveland. Huff was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of A-Rod on Saturday, and it could have been so much worse than it was. The ball hit his head so hard that it ended up in the right field corner for a double. Although he got roughed up today, pitching only three innings, he miraculously escaped what could have been a very tragic event.
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