Social Media Made Tigers’ Galarraga, Umpire Joyce Famous Overnight
Social Media Made Tigers’ Galarraga, Umpire Joyce Famous Overnightby Melanie McCullough June 4, 2010. Going into the evening of June 2, how many people outside of Detroit had heard of Armando Galarraga? For that matter, how many people outside of the approximately 18,000 folks at Comerica Park had any idea the 28-year-old righty was on the mound for just his third start of the 2010 season?
How a few hours and the world of social media changed that! Within minutes of what should have been the 27th consecutive out of the game between Galarraga’s Tigers and the visiting Cleveland Indians, Facebook and Twitter were abuzz with talk of the perfect game that was not. There was outrage at the blown call and cries of injustice that the Venezuelan had been robbed of such a historical achievement. Hundreds of Facebook pages were created in support of Galarraga, one with more than 6,000 members.
Then, it went beyond baseball. With word circulating online about the imperfect call and the grace with which Galarraga handled it, the Detroit starting pitcher was hailed as a hero. A worldwide trending topic on Twitter, Galarraga was praised for his character as well as his pitching by thousands of people who had heard of him only after seeing his name first appear on Facebook or Twitter. An imperfect call that ended a bid at a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning assured Galarraga’s name would be mentioned for years in baseball circles. His poise combined with quick support from sports fans in and even casual users of social media gave him nearly instant hero status well beyond the realm of those circles.
On the flip side of that story, of course, is the instant vilification of umpire Jim Joyce. Like Galarraga, Joyce had toiled in anonymity throughout his distinguished career. The 22-year major league umpire veteran was widely regarded as one of the best umpires and people in the game by players, managers and his peers. But within minutes of the call that will haunt him for the remainder of his career, Joyce was the subject of countless Facebook pages calling him unflattering names and demanding that he be fired. In a matter of minutes, he went from being an often overlooked figure on the diamond to one of the most hated figures in sports. People who hadn’t seen a baseball game all year were posting freeze-frame photos of his missed call at first base. He, too, became a trending topic on Twitter.
In 1985, umpire Don Denkinger experienced a fall from grace after infamously missing a call at first base in Game 6 of the World Series that would have given the St. Louis Cardinals, up three games to two at the time, their 10thworld championship. He received hate mail, but those angry fans at least had to go to the trouble to write a letter by hand or on their typewriters, buy a stamp and locate him without the benefit of the World Wide Web to express their feelings to Denkinger.
Today, anyone with a computer, iPhone, Blackberry or even a freebie smart phone offered by all major cell phone companies was able to call for Joyce’s head within seconds. By the time the 55-year-old had watched a replay of the decisive play that moved him to tears and will follow him everywhere he goes, thousands were engaging in social media debating about where the call ranks among the worst ever.
Interview with Jim Joyce immediately after game
As debate and discussion continue about the perfect game that wasn’t, social media will continue to make heroes and villains of athletes, coaches and other participants in the world of sports.
Our Visiting Rhino Melanie McCullough (@NCCardsFan) got her start in sports as a competitive gymnast, coach and gymnastics judge. After being over the hill in gymnastics by the age of 18, she turned her focus to sports writing and sports information. She worked in sports media and sports media relations for more than 10 years before deciding she wanted to learn what it meant to have weekends and evenings off. Now she makes guest appearances as a freelance writer or media relations assistant at various ACC and NCAA Championship events.
If you’re interested in being a Visiting Rhino and have a social media and sports story to share, please email us at
