Imperfectly Perfect

In the “Year of the Pitcher,” Major League Baseball enthusiasts have had much to cheer about.

From two perfect games to five no-hitters to the astounding rookie debut of Washington Nationals pitching-phenom Stephen Strasberg, fans have witnessed many commendable feats this season, but all take a formative backseat to the humility and forgiveness displayed earlier this summer by veteran umpire Jim Joyce and Detroit Tiger’s hurler Armando Galarraga, respectively.

In the history of the league, over the course of more than a century’s worth of games—hundreds of thousands of innings of baseball played—there have only been 20 perfect games...EVER! No runs. No walks. No hits. No errors. Twenty-seven batters up, and twenty-seven batters down. To say that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is a proverbial understatement—it’s the pinnacle of any pitcher’s accomplishment—it’s more than a dream. Yet for Galarraga, it was in reach. He had already faced 26 batters, retiring them all. Now, needing only one more out, he was on the brink of history; he was on the cusp of becoming the 21^st player all-time to record perfection…

All until the illustrious “safe” call was heard around the world—the erroneous decision made by the first base umpire Jim Joyce—irretrievably ripping Galarraga from baseball notoriety. Replay would reveal (and Joyce would later confess) that he blatantly missed a call—a very big call at that.

But what followed after the game—specifically between Galarraga and Joyce—transcended sport. Sports Illustrated calls it, “The epitome of the human element—not the mistake, but the grace and humility.” Joyce admitted his error, and Galarraga never said a sour word; he simply forgave him for making a mistake regardless of how high the stakes were.

The next day Galarraga met Joyce at home plate in a public display of forgiveness, demonstrating a turning of the page.

To no fault of his own, Galarraga lost out on the chance of being a part of history. But Galarraga was a part of history that June day; he showed the watching world that forgiveness does exist. He showed the sports world something that they may never see like that again—he showed sportsmanship.

You see, there are life events that happen—often without any fault of your own—jobs are lost, people die, and families are broken apart. Life happens. You can’t control what happens, but you can control how you will respond in those moments—regardless if you are the offended or the offender—you do have a choice. You can’t undo anything you or another has already done, but you can face up to it. You can seek or offer forgiveness. You can turn the page. You can move on, and let God do the rest.

Editorial