June 2, 2010, October 26, 2013, and now September 8, 2016; Jim Joyce has blown it again. After yet another blunder by the man in blue, we’ll take a look at the 4 seemingly defining moments of the umpiring career of Jim Joyce:
THE IMPERFECT GAME June 2, 2010, Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan: After an amazing Austin Jackson over-the-shoulder grab in the top of the 9th inning to preserve the perfe-nobody say it! The game’s not over, yet, it’s bad luck! Okay, let’s call it preserving the streak of not allowing a baserunner that was being pitched by a general nobody, Armando Galarraga. Oh wait a minute, that first sentence got cut off and went nowhe-. Okay, well would you say that those sentences were imperfect or unfinished? Well, in short, after Austin Jackson of the Detroit Tigers made an amazing grab, batter Jason Donald stepped up to the plate. Donald hit a ground ball that made first baseman Miguel Cabrera run to his right to make the play. Since the first baseman had run off for the ball, the pitcher, Armando Galarraga, had to cover the bag. As Galarraga covers the first base bag Jason Donald races to be safe. Cabrera throws the ball and Galarraga catches it, foot on the bag, as Donald runs by. At this point in the game, Galarraga has retired all 26 batters he’s faced, making Donald the 27th batter, if he’s out, the last batter. Oh, how Galarraga wishes that challenging a call had been a rule back then! The first base umpire, Jim Joyce, calls Donald safe at first base, however replays show clearly that Donald was out by a mile. I’m not talking about slo-mo replays, no, I’m talking about real-time, just watching what was being broadcast to the world live. Galarraga got another out that inning, to win the game, but people only remember it as the 28th out, for because of that call, that game will always be remembered as “Imperfect.” OBSTRUCTION October 26, 2013, Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri Game 3 of the 2013 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals; 4-4, 2nd and 3rd, 1 out, bottom of the 9th inning, Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri, there’s a ground ball to Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia. As the runner on third races to home plate to try and win the game, he is thrown out, after which the catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, throws to third to try and nab Allen Craig. The ball is wild and goes past Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks and heads into left field. The left fielder throws the ball back home to Saltalamacchia as Craig tries for the plate, but he’s tagged out for the final out of the inning, pushing the game to extra innings. That’s what I thought until home plate umpire Jim Joyce starts shouting “Safe!” and pointing to Will Middlebrooks. Joyce called obstruction on the play, meaning that Will Middlebrooks got in the way Allen Craig running home, and so by getting around Middlebrooks, Craig was not able to get home in the same amount of time he would have if Middlebrooks weren’t there, so to summize, he would’ve been safe if not for Middlebrooks being in the way. But, Middlebrooks is not in the basepath between third base and home plate, he’s in fact to the right of the third base, in the basepath between second base and third base! Craig did trip over Middlebrooks, but what does that mean if Middlebrooks was out of the way between third base and home plate? Well, isn’t it obvious?! Craig went the wrong way, so Middlebrooks was not blocking the space between home and third, so the obstruction rule does not apply! In conclusion, Allen Craig should have been out and the game should have gone to extra innings, but due to another Joyce blunder, the wrong call was once again made. DAVE ROBERTS October 17, 2004, Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts Let’s take a break from the misses and at least give the man this; this play is one of the most important moments in baseball history, for without this play the Boston Red Sox don’t break the curse. I live in New England and I can tell you how much this play means to all of Red Sox Nation. Kevin Millar, life of the party, is walked by New York Yankees future hall of fame closer Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the final inning at Fenway, after midnight. Millar is not a speedy man, so the BoSox bring in a pinch runner, one Mr. Dave Roberts. Seeing the man’s big lead, Rivera throws to pickoff Roberts. It’s a close play, but Roberts is alive, though surprised by the almost out, he takes a deep breathe while standing back up. What happens next is one of those moments where you’re so caught up in the excitement that time seems to move a little slower. “When I was with the Dodgers,” Roberts said, “Maury Wills once told me that there will come a point in my career when everyone in the ballpark will know that I have to steal a base, and I will steal that base. When I got out there, I knew that was what Maury Wills was talking about.” This was that moment for him, and every person in America knew that Dave Roberts was going to try to steal second base. He would have to outrun a pitch by Mariano Rivera, a throw by Jorge Posada, and a tag by Derek Jeter. Yeah, odds are kind of stacked against him. Nevertheless, Rivera went into the windup and Roberts took off. It was a cold night in the Fens of Boston, but like their pinstripes and fingertips, the Yankees would leave the stadium with their spirits blue. Posada caught the ball and whipped it down to second base, Jeter put down the tag, and Roberts dove into the base. Every replay from every angle throughout time will show that the second base umpire, Jim Joyce, was correct when he yelled out to the Fenway Faithful, “Safe!” Despite all the terrible calls he’s made, this one will forever be remembered as one of the greatest calls of all-time, for this was the first sign that the 86 years were over, and Jim Joyce got it right. THE PASSED BALL IN CLEVELAND September 8, 2016, Arena Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio It’s the bottom of the third inning in the Indians Astros game, bases loaded and two out. David Paulino of the Astros throws a pitch that gets by catcher Jason Castro and to the backstop. But did the ball really get by Cleveland Indians batter Lonnie Chisenhall? Castro didn’t seem to think so, but Joyce didn’t make a motion, signifying that Chisenhall must have checked his swing and not touched the ball, making it a passed ball. While Castro looks to Joyce wondering why he didn’t make the foul call, the runners on second and third come around to score! The Houston Astros would’ve challenged the call but it was a matter of strike vs. ball, something that can’t be argued. The replays show it to be a foul ball, but once again, Jim Joyce has denied, no, he has DEFIED! fact and made another horribly obvious wrong call. While fans in Massachusetts love the Dave Roberts call, Jim Joyce will be remembered as almost always WRONG. Jesse A. Cook The Cincinnati Skyline "Imperfection, Obstruction, And Now A Passed Ball; Jim Joyce Is Wrong Again!" September 8, 2016
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AuthorJesse Cook: High school junior. Does play-by-play for the Sharon Varsity Eagles softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and football teams. Fanatic of the Boston and Cincinnati teams in the Big Four sports. Designs graphics of athletes, politicians, and musicians at Picsart.com. Archives
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