The one thing people were talking about at Yankee Stadium today was the one thing the umpires working the game refused to discuss.
“No comments. There’s been enough said and written,” crew chief Tim Welke said when approached before the game about the baseball topic du jour: Umpire Mike Joyce’s blown ninth-inning call that cost Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game Wednesday in Detroit.
So Welke, who worked the Yankees’ matinee against Baltimore with his brother, Bill Welke, plus Mike DiMuro and Jim Reynolds, sidestepped what some consider the worst call in baseball history.
Joyce made virtually the same call in the eighth inning, ruling Johnny Damon safe at first with two outs, a play that led to two Tigers runs. Joyce, a well-regarded ump, showed class and courage and admitted his perfect game goof after seeing a replay.
“He’s one of the most respected and best umpires in the league,” Derek Jeter said.
Joe Girardi gave Joyce a similar label and when asked if “personality, judgment or accuracy” led to that sentiment, answered “All of the above.” He then praised Joyce, the 22-season veteran.
“An umpire that as a catcher I always felt you could talk to and discuss things with, very even keel. Let players have their say. Understood that players have a lot of emotions during a game,” Girardi said. “There’s been years he’s been voted the best umpire in baseball.
“I don’t like to see people carry around things that sometimes mark you as a person. They still talk about (1985 World Series umpiring goat) Don Denkinger and I don’t like to see that. People talk about me being a huge optimist but I want to see good things happen to people.”