Extending Grace

I was remembering an event that happened last summer, that was, on the surface, a baseball travesty, but was ultimately the epitome of human forgiveness.

On June 2, 2010, Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers sought to become only the 21st player in major-league history to accomplish a perfect game, recording all 27 outs without allowing a base runner. Remarkably, there had already been 2 perfect games pitched in 2010, so after Galarraga retired the 26th consecutive batter, it appeared history might be made, as there had never been 3 perfect games thrown the same year.

Then the inexplicable happened. On a ground ball to the first baseman, Galarraga himself covered first base to record the final out, but Jim Joyce, an experienced and well respected umpire called the batter safe at first. Though it is clear from replays, and Joyce readily admits to blowing the call, Galarraga's place in history was irretrievably lost. Major-league baseball has no provision for overturning such a call.

Though, to most of us, baseball is "only a game", it is hard to imagine a more tragic thing happening to someone who has made the sport his life. Of all the great pitchers the game has featured, only a very small percentage ever pitch a game where their "stuff" is un-hittable, AND where the defense plays flawlessly behind them. And since no pitcher has ever done it twice, it is reasonable to assume that Galarraga will never have a chance to duplicate his feat.

But, as incredible as Galarraga's performance was, what I want to focus on is what he did after suffering this bitter disappointment. Because, what followed his "perfect game that wasn't" went beyond the pinnacle of human endeavor, reaching the divine realm. He extended grace to the one who had robbed him of his historical achievement.

Grace is defined as "unmerited favor". Jim Joyce who clearly made an error, did not deserve to be forgiven, and by inference Galarraga had the right to condemn him. But he chose to let it go, and let Jim Joyce go free.

Click this link to view the news story surrounding this event.

We all face disappointment in life, and all of us experience being wronged by another person. What we do afterward, though, is what defines us. Armando Galarraga will always be remembered for having been "cheated" out of pitching a perfect game, but I will always remember him for his perfect example of forgiving the one who committed the wrong against him.