Missed call ends Galarraga's perfect bid

Maybe there is crying in baseball. This may be the worst call in the history of the game. Video at the link.

To twist the famous newspaper lede, the imperfect call spoiled the perfect game Wednesday.

The Tigers were ready to celebrate when Indians shortstop Jason Donald grounded to first base with two outs in the ninth. Brandon Inge was jumping for joy. Don Kelly and Austin Jackson were rushing in from the outfield to join in the celebration that was sure. Gerald Laird and the rest of the Detroit dugout was readying to storm the field and mob pitcher Armando Galarraga.

One call from first-base umpire Jim Joyce changed history.

It was tough enough for the Tigers to believe. For Joyce, who made the safe call that broke up perfection in Detroit's one-hit, 1-0 win over Cleveland, it was heartbreaking. And as television replays showed, it was a mistake -- an honest mistake, as Joyce explained.

"It was the biggest call of my career," an emotional Joyce told reporters, "and I kicked it. I just cost that kid a perfect game."

Austin Jackson's over-the-shoulder catch seven pitches earlier for the first out of the ninth inning seemingly had taken care of the toughest play of the night, the toughest obstacle between Galarraga and history. Mike Redmond's routine ground ball for the second out put Galarraga on history's doorstep.

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Phils' Halladay throws MLB's 20th perfecto

Unbelievable- two perfect games in one season. For you soccer fans out there a perfect game is when no player on the opposing team reaches base.

Baseball tradition says you don't talk to or even get near a pitcher when he's on the brink of a no-hitter, and especially not if a perfect game is on the line. But Roy Halladay is a different animal. So when asked at what point during his phenomenal Saturday night outing did he feel his teammates were giving him the cold shoulder, the intense right-hander quipped: "I'd say 2:30, 3 o'clock this afternoon."

About seven hours later, his quiet Phillies teammates morphed into an exuberant bunch in the midst of an on-field celebration, and a rare smile crept onto the stoic Halladay's face.

On this Saturday night at Sun Life Stadium, Halladay -- arguably the best pitcher in the game already -- was perfect.

Twenty-seven Marlins hitters came to bat, and 27 were promptly retired, as Halladay edged out ace Josh Johnson and delivered a 1-0 victory for his team while becoming the 20th pitcher in Major League history -- and second this season -- to fire a perfect game.

As if he needed any more affirmation.

"It's something you never think about," Halladay said. "It's hard to explain. There's days where things just kind of click and things happen, and it's something you obviously never go out and try and do. But it's a great feeling."

The 33-year-old Halladay joins Jim Bunning (1964) as the only Phillies pitchers to throw a perfect game. He is the 10th pitcher in Phillies history to throw a no-hitter -- the last one to do it was Kevin Millwood on April 27, 2003, against the Giants -- and the third in the Majors this season, joining Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez and the Athletics' Dallas Braden, who fired a perfect game on Mother's Day.

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