Armando Galarraga

Armando Antonio Galarraga Barreto, born January 15, 1982, in Venezuela, is a former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball. He first appeared in the majors with the Texas Rangers on September 15, 2007, then moved to the Detroit Tigers in a trade after that season, staying with them for three years. Later, he also pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Houston Astros. Galarraga is most remembered for a 2010 game where he was just one out from a perfect game, but first base umpire Jim Joyce wrongly called the runner safe.

Galarraga originally signed as a free agent with the Montreal Expos in 1998. He later went to the Texas Rangers as part of the 2005 deal that sent Alfonso Soriano to the Washington Nationals. His MLB debut came against the Oakland Athletics, entering in the eighth inning and pitching a scoreless frame with no hits and one walk.

In February 2008, the Tigers acquired him for minor league outfielder Michael Hernandez. Called up to replace the injured Dontrelle Willis, Galarraga earned his first win on April 16, 2008, in a 13–2 victory over the Cleveland Indians. On June 13, he threw seven shutout innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished 2008 with a 13–7 record, a 3.73 ERA, and 126 strikeouts over 178⅔ innings. That season, batters managed only a .237 average on balls in play against him, the lowest in the majors, and he threw sliders more often than any other starting pitcher (38.9% of his pitches). He placed fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting.

In 2009, Galarraga started the home opener at Comerica Park, a 15–2 win featuring a Miguel Cabrera grand slam. Before a game against the Yankees on April 29, he received the Tigers' Rookie of the Year award from the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association. His performance dropped off sharply, with a 5.64 ERA and a .284 opponent batting average.

Spring training in 2010 was rough: over seven innings, he allowed nine runs, 14 hits, and seven walks. His comment, "They've seen my stuff; they know what I can do," did not help, and the Tigers sent him to Triple-A Toledo on March 18. He returned in May, posting a 4.50 ERA by June 1. He was optioned back to Toledo on July 6 but was recalled on July 19 to start against Texas. On January 18, 2011, the Tigers designated him for assignment.

The near-perfect game happened on June 2, 2010. Galarraga retired the first 26 batters, but with two outs in the ninth, rookie Jason Donald hit a grounder to first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who tossed to Galarraga covering the bag. Umpire Jim Joyce called Donald safe, though replays clearly showed the out. Galarraga retired the next batter for a one-hitter.

He threw 88 pitches, 67 for strikes. A perfect game would have been the fewest pitches (83) since Addie Joss's 74 in 1908 and the shortest since Sandy Koufax's in 1965. It would have been the second perfect game in four days (Roy Halladay's on May 29) and the third in 24 days (Dallas Braden's on May 9). Joyce apologized directly, and Galarraga accepted gracefully, saying, "Nobody's perfect."

The incident was praised for its sportsmanship. Galarraga later received a "Medal of Reasonableness" at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. The Baseball Hall of Fame displays his cleats and the first base from that game.

After the Tigers, Galarraga was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in January 2011 for pitchers Kevin Eichhorn and Ryan Robowski. He was designated for assignment on May 18, cleared waivers, and was sent outright to Triple-A Reno on May 20. He became a free agent after the season.

In January 2012, he signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles but was released in April. He then signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros in May, was called up on July 28, and made five appearances, losing four. He was designated for assignment on August 22 and released three days later.

In January 2013, Galarraga signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds.