There’s a lot going on in the world of sports, and it can sometimes be overwhelming to have to follow or cover multiple sports on a daily basis. I could provide another riveting article on the latest sports news from around the world, but today I’m going to do something different. Today, I’m going to talk about one hit wonders. No, I’m not referring to musicians like Tommy Tutone or the Bengals. I’m talking about baseball’s one hit wonders. Those single moments in baseball history that live on for eternity, some great and some bad. Let’s open the baseball vault and see what we find.
- Armando Galarraga’s imperfect perfect game
- Regrettably, we start with one of baseball’s most controversial moments. The Armando Galarraga imperfect perfect game.
- On June 2nd 2010, Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Armando Galarraga had retired all 26 batters he faced and was one out away from a perfect game, and for a very brief moment it looked like he was going to etch his name into baseball history by doing something very few pitchers in the game have done, pitch a perfect game. Sadly, his moment of glory did not come to fruition when first base umpire Jim Joyce ruled that Cleveland Indians rookie Jason Donald was safe at first. But perfect game bids end all the time and it sucks when it comes on the final out of the game. So, what makes this one so different? Well, simply put, Joyce was wrong and the replays clearly showed that Donald was out. In fact, it was so egregious that fans immediately labeled it the imperfect perfect game or the 28-out perfect game, and today baseball fans still recognize Galarraga’s game that day as a legitimate perfect game. It’s also worth noting that instant replay was not part of the baseball rulebook at the time. So, then-Detroit Manager Jim Leyland did not have the ability to challenge the play that would have reversed the call. With the introduction of instant replay, baseball fans continue to demand Major League Baseball to retroactively reverse the outcome and recognize Galarraga’s game as an official perfect game. This effort has failed numerous times. Fans still haven’t forgiven Jim Joyce despite Galarraga’s efforts to heal the wounds and even making a joint appearance at ESPN’s ESPYs Awards Show.
- So, what happened to Armando Galarraga? Well, besides ending up on the wrong side of history, Galarraga had a rather lackluster career. He played just five seasons in the MLB from 2007 to 2012 and went 26-34 with a 4.78 ERA and 346 strikeouts. He played for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Houston Astros.
- Tyler Gilbert’s record setting no-hitter
- We move on to the next baseball one hit wonder featuring former Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Tyler Gilbert.
- Tyler Gilbert was called up from the minors on August 3rd, 2021. He made his major league debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks that same day, pitching one inning in relief. He would be named starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks on August 14, 2021 in their game against the San Diego Padres.
- Astonishingly, Gilbert threw 102 pitches en route to no-hitting the Padres in his first ever Major League start. He walked just three batters. He became the 4th player in MLB history to pitch a no-hitter in his first Major League start and the first to do so since 1953. It was also the 8th no-hitter of the 2021 season, tying the MLB record for most no-hitters in a single MLB season, a feat that was last accomplished in 1884. Gilbert Joined Edwin Jackson and Randy Johnson as the only Diamondbacks players to pitch no-hitters. Edwin Jackson pitched a no-hitter in 2010 and Randy Johnson pitched a perfect game in 2004.
- Where’s Tyler Gilbert now? Sadly, Gilbert’s time in the big leagues was short-lived. He went 2-5 as a starter with a 4.12 ERA and 45 strikeouts.
- Chan Ho Park’s grand disappointment
- Giving up a grand slam home run is the worst feeling in the world for a pitcher. But what about giving up two in the same inning? and to the same player? That’s exactly what happened to Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park on April 23, 1999.
- On that fateful April 23rd game Chan Ho Park was facing Saint Louis Cardinals slugger Fernando Tatis with the bases loaded and gave up a grand slam home run. As luck or lack thereof would happen, Park faced Tatis a second time in the same inning, again with the bases loaded, and Tatis once again homered for another grand slam. To this day, Park is still the only pitcher to allow two grand slams in the same inning against the same batter.
- Despite being on the wrong end of history that day, Chan Ho Park had a decent MLB career and was an All-Star in 2001.
- Dallas Braden’s perfect game
- On May 9, 2010, Oakland A’s starting pitcher Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game. It was the 19th perfect game in MLB history.
- What makes this game stand out? Well, pitching a perfect game is the hardest feat in baseball and arguably the hardest feat in all other sports combined. Secondly, Braden had recently lost his mother due to illness and coincidentally pitched his perfect game on mother’s day.
- So, what happened to Dallas Braden after that? Well, sadly Braden’s career was short-lived. He played in four seasons from 2007 to 2011. He went 26-36 with a 4.16 ERA and 305 strikeouts.
- John Ryan Murphy
- Very few people have probably heard of John Ryan Murphy. So, why did I pick him? Well, his name alone definitely stands out. How often is it that someone is known professionally by their full name? Typically it’s just the first and last name.
- In all seriousness, John Ryan Murphy made history for two very distinct moments. In 2013, Murphy was the catcher behind the plate for the New York Yankees during legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera’s last major league appearance. On April 30, 2019 John Ryan Murphy was in the lineup for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the New York Yankees at Chase Field with Yankees starter CC Sabathia in pursuit of his 3,000th strikeout. As it so happened, it was John Ryan Murphy who would become the 3,000th batter to strike out against Sabathia.
- So there you have it. John Ryan Murphy was a part of Yankees history twice.
- What happened to John Ryan Murphy? Not much. To describe his career as lackluster would be an understatement. He had a career batting average of .218 with 18 home runs and 61 runs-batted-in.
- Tommy Lasorda and his standoff with the Montreal Expos mascot
- Perhaps one of the funniest moments in baseball history came when longtime Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda got Montreal Expos mascot Youppi ejected from the game. A mascot getting ejected? Yes, you read that correctly.
- The infamous moment came in the 11th inning of a Major League Baseball game between the Montreal Expos and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1989. It featured the often wild Expos mascot Youppi and the short-tempered Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda. It took place in the 11th inning of what became a 22-inning 1-0 affair. Youppi, already in his pajamas, had been making a bit too much noise on top of the Dodgers dugout, and Lasorda voiced his complaint to the umpire crew and ultimately got Youppi ejected from the game, much to the dismay of the Expos fans. Youppi returned to the game one inning later after the fans cheered for him to return to the game. The umpires agreed under the condition that Youppi stay away from the Dodgers dugout. Youppi obliged. The Expos lost 1-0 after 22 innings.
- The Montreal Expos failed as an MLB Franchise and relocated to Washington DC without ever winning the World Series and rebranded themselves the Washington Nationals.
- For a franchise that performed so dismally, it’s fitting that this is the moment that lives on in eternity. Long live Youppi!
So, there you have it. A short list of baseball’s best and worst moments in the history of Major League Baseball. Here’s to many more in the future. You never know what you’re going to see at a baseball game.
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