April 19, 2022
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Monmouth University law class tries to save Armando Galarraga's (almost) perfect game - Yahoo Finance

It’s one of the most infamous mistakes in sports history.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was denied a perfect game in 2010 when an umpire erroneously ruled that the 27th batter, with two outs in the ninth inning, had beaten a throw to first base.

The umpire and the batter both admitted the call was wrong, but Major League Baseball’s commissioner refused to overturn the umpire’s decision and award Galarraga the 21st perfect game in the sport’s 134-year history. Support to overturn came from the White House, the governor of Michigan and all corners of the media.

Add a new group to that list: 16 members of a Monmouth University “Law and Society” course and their professor, retired New Jersey Superior Court judge Lawrence Jones, have submitted an 82-page document to current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred that makes a case for Galarraga’s addition to the list of perfect games.

Frame grab from Fox Sports Detroit of Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga losing his perfect game when umpire Jim Joyce ruled Cleveland Indians' Jason Donald safe at first base, which would have been the last out of the game, Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at Comerica Park.
Frame grab from Fox Sports Detroit of Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga losing his perfect game when umpire Jim Joyce ruled Cleveland Indians' Jason Donald safe at first base, which would have been the last out of the game, Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at Comerica Park.

Galarraga, who is now retired from baseball and living in Texas, was so touched by the effort that he conducted a Zoom meeting with the students to tell his story and express appreciation.

“It’s amazing, what they’ve done,” he told the Asbury Park Press via phone last week. “I’m floored.”

The point of the project is not just to help Galarraga, although that is certainly its focus.

As Gabriella Griffo, a junior in the course, explained: “It’s about how flexible law really is.”

Monmouth University students (clockwise, from upper left) Antonio Bulzomi, Hannah Latshaw, Gabriella Griffo and Georgia Watkins
Monmouth University students (clockwise, from upper left) Antonio Bulzomi, Hannah Latshaw, Gabriella Griffo and Georgia Watkins

'It's about promoting fairness'

Jones, a Toms River resident who remains active in law as a mediator, typically gears the course around a semester-long project. Many of his students are interested in attending law school. Few of them are avid baseball fans, but he saw Galarraga’s story as an ideal topic.

The perfect game is one of the most hallowed achievements in sports — there hasn't been one in 10 years, although Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was on his way there last week before his manager pulled him after seven innings out of concern for his arm.

Detroit Tigers' Armando Galarraga and Cleveland Indians bench coach Tim Tolman hand the lineups to tearful home plate umpire Jim Joyce, prior to the start of the game Thursday, June 3, 2010 at Comerica Park. Joyce's blown call the night before cost Galarraga a perfect game.

  • Major League Baseball has changed the status of a historical achievement long after the fact. In 1991, . (He had thrown 12 perfect innings, but lost the perfect game on an error and a hit in the 13th inning.)

Comerica Park scoreboard showing Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga's bid for a perfect game against the Cleveland Indians, Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at Comerica Park.


source: https://finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/monmouth-university-law-class-tries-112924413.html

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