A Monmouth Law Class is Trying to Rectify Armando Galarraga’s Almost Perfect Game

If you're a Detroit Tigers fan, you know the tale of how pitcher Armando Galarraga had what would have been a perfect game, but that was stolen from him by umpire Jim Joyce, who wrongly called the 27th Cleveland Indians batter safe at first base, even when the replay showed that he was out.

Now, 16 members of Monmouth University’s “Law and Society,” headed up by retired New Jersey Superior Court judge Lawrence Jones, have submitted an 82-page document to Commissioner Rob Manfred stating why Galarraga should be recognized for having a perfect game.

“This was something, when it first happened, that really resonated with millions of people around the globe — people who are not necessarily sports fans, and that was the point,” Jones said via the Detroit Free Press. “When you talk about the intersection between legal principles and social principles, it seemed to me this was a classic case for analysis and discussion. You’re studying how rules are created, how rules are interpreted, principles of fairness and equality — this situation is analogous to so many areas of law.”

“This is about the spirit of the rule and why rules are created,” said junior Antonio Bulzomi, who helped author the document. “It’s about promoting fairness.”

“I never thought advocating could be something like this,” said senior Hannah Latshaw. “I always thought about legal terms, not societal terms. This class and this situation have helped us learn to advocate in a much broader spectrum.”