Guardians History: The game Armando Galarraga needed 28 outs to defeat Cleveland 

Sixteen years ago, Cleveland Indians infielder Jason Donald’s hustle helped create a moment that’s lived on in MLB infamy. After Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga set down the first 26 batters in order before facing Donald, who was the only batter standing between him and a perfect game. 

And for a split-second, it looked like Galarraga had done it. Donald chopped a dribbler to the right side of the infield, which first baseman Miguel Cabrera fielded and threw to Galarraga, who beat Donald to the bag. 

But then umpire Jim Joyce stopped everyone in their tracks by calling Donald safe. 

It generated some of the best reactions in MLB history that still stand out 16 years later. Donald clapped his hands and put his hands on his head. Galarraga looked at Joyce with a smile. Cabrera looked like he’d seen a ghost. Even a tie-clad Dave Dombrowski looked aghast from his box in Comerica Field. 

But the moment ended up being a great test in sportsmanship, as Joyce apologized to Galarraga after the game, and the two ended up exchanging lineup cards the next day. 

It’s been 16 years since Armando Galarraga’s near perfect game against the Guardians 

Galarraga’s outing came at a time when the Indians were at one of their low points, as they finished the 2010 season with 69 wins and were still three years away from returning to the postseason. 

No hitter in Cleveland’s lineup that day was hitting better than .285 (Austin Kearns .282 batting average led the way), and it featured eventual afterthoughts like Russell Branyan and Mike Redmond. 

Cleveland pitcher Fausto Carm–, er Roberto Hernandez, started opposite Galarraga and tossed an eight inning complete game where he allowed three runs on nine hits with three strikeouts. 

Prior to Joyce’s blown call, Cleveland’s best chance to score came at the beginning of the inning when Grudzielanek tattooed a ball to center that Austin Jackson made a fantastic catch on. Every no-hitter or perfect game has “that play,” and it seemed like Galarraga had his. 

"It was so bang-bang that I thought for sure I'd get called out because of everything at stake," Donald told Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes after the game. "When I saw Cabrera go for the ball, I knew it would be a foot race with the pitcher. As soon as I hit it, I knew it would be one of those tricky plays."

That play ended up being the highlight of Galarraga’s career, as he finished the season with a 4.49 ERA before struggling in the next two seasons across time with the Diamondbacks and Astros.  

Normally, a pitcher like Galarraga throwing a one-hitter against a bad team doesn’t end up having the legs to last more than one day in the news cycle. But Joyce’s blown call has turned Galarraga’s masterpiece into one of the most well-known games in MLB history. 

And Cleveland was right in the middle of it. 

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