Profiles in Character #22: Jim Joyce Apologizes for a Blown Call

On June 2, 2010, with two out in the ninth inning, hometown Detroit Tiger’s pitcher Armando Galarraga was just one out away from achieving baseball’s greatest achievement - throwing a perfect game.  Cleveland Indians batter Jason Donald slapped an infield grounder and raced toward first base.  First base umpire Jim Joyce gave an emphatic “safe” call, ending the perfect game bid.  Video replays after the game showed Donald was out by a step, but it was too late to change the call.  “Kill the Umpire,” that heralded phrase of fan fury, took on new meaning as some angry fans made threatening calls to Joyce’s home that night – and the calls continued, including to his daughter, Keri, and son, Jimmy, who were both in college.

At 54, Joyce was a highly respected umpire in his 21st major league season.  Calling Donald out would have been an easier call, especially before a home town crowd.  Calling it as he saw it, an umpire’s job, took courage.  Being able to block out all the emotions in the stadium and in his head to focus only on the play itself took courage. Not worrying about whether calling the runner safe would lead to criticism took courage.  Reflecting on the play later, he said that at the time he certainly thought the runner was safe.  As soon as the game ended, however, he asked to see the play on tape. At that point, he knew he was wrong.  So he demonstrated courage again in what he did next.  He asked to speak to the 28-year-old pitcher to apologize for costing him the sport’s 19th perfect game.  Umpires rarely admit they were wrong, but Joyce proved himself a rare umpire.  As Galarraga shared their conversation, he relayed that Joyce “was struggling at that point. He was crying, saying ‘I am sorry, I thought he was safe. I made a big mistake. I took away a perfect game from you.’ He was red like a tomato. I felt sorry for him.”

Third base umpire Derryl Cousins offered to speak to the press to spare Joyce their grilling.  Joyce said no.  Cousins then suggested Joyce talk to a single pool reporter; Joyce said no again.  He would face his mistake with no excuses or evasions.  Later, speaking to a broadcaster and reliving the play, Joyce said “I had great positioning on it. I just missed the damn call.  I missed it.”  “This is a history call,” he continued, “and there’s nobody that feels worse than I do.  … I took a perfect game away from that kid who worked his ass off all night. … If I’d been Galarraga, I’d have been the first one standing there.  He didn’t say a word, not a word.”

Years later, people still remembered – and still asked him about that missed call.  Joyce was not surprised.  In the real world, baseball is a sport and a game - just a moment in time. But in his professional world, where his life’s work was getting things right, it was more.  “I was scared to death that that was going to define me,” he said. “That every time that somebody looked at me, they’re not going to think they’re talking to Jim Joyce — they’re going to be thinking they’re talking to Jim Joyce, the guy that kicked the call in 2010.   Perhaps there has been some of that, but both Joyce and Galarraga gave baseball fans something more important to remember that day – and the next.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig’s office contacted Joyce, who was scheduled to work the game the following day, and offered him the day off.  Joyce could have taken that option to avoid facing the hometown crowd, but again said no.  Umpiring was his job, and he’d do it.  So on June 3, as fate would have it, Joyce was scheduled to work home plate.  Usually, team managers come to the plate to present the lineup card.  But Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland had what Galarraga called “a great idea.”  He sent the pitcher in his place. “I see Armando on the top step [of the dugout],” Joyce said, “I broke down. I didn’t see the lineup card. They could have put Babe Ruth in the third spot. I had no idea what it said. I couldn’t speak.”  Neither needed words – their actions said all that was needed.  The few boos from the crowd were drowned out with wild applause and a standing ovation for the man who made a human mistake and the man who forgave him for it.

Long-time Detroit Tigers play-by-play sportscaster Ernie Harwell, who passed away on May 4 that same year once said that “baseball is a lot like life.”  There is truth in those words.  But Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga showed us that perhaps life should also be a lot more like baseball. 

Photo Credit: notital.com