Major League Baseball umpire Jim Joyce, by all accounts, is a phenomenal umpire. However, he made one of the worst calls in baseball history, which cost then-Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game last season. Galarraga is now an Arizona Diamondback, and Joyce has been banned from officiating any D-Backs game this season because Galarraga's on the team.
The problem isn't the fear of history repeating itself, the problem is the two have since written a book together, and the league feels their business relationship could create a conflict of interest -- or at least the impression of one.
"Jim Joyce, the World Umpires Association, and Major League Baseball all agree that for appearances sake, Jim should not be working any games involving Armando Galarraga or his team this season," World Umpires Association General Counsel Brian Lam tells Bloomberg.
On June 2, of last year, Galarraga was one out away from a perfect game against the Cleveland Indians when Jason Donald hit a ground ball to first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera's throw to Galaragga -- who was covering the bag -- clearly beat Donald. Joyce, however, called him safe.
See the video -- and listen to Joyce's heartfelt apology -- below.
To put what Joyce took from Galarraga into perspective, he would have become only the 21st pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw a perfect game.
In the following days, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig enraged fans further when he refused to overturn the call -- despite it being obviously wrong.
Joyce felt awful and the two quickly made amends and are now collaborating on a book about the infamous call to be released this June -- the first anniversary of the game now known as the "Imperfect Game."
The book is titled "Nobody's Perfect: Two Men, One Call, and a Game for Baseball History." It will be released June 2. For more info, click here.
