Detroit Tigers: Armando Galarraga looks for a change in fate in 2011
Detroit Tigers will be one of the toughest teams to go up against in 2011. The American League is shaping up to be one of the most difficult leagues in Major League Baseball and the Central region is looking like the East division.
The ball club will face stiff competition from other clubs in the area and some of them are aiming high next season.
Tigers will face a tough list of clubs and some of them include the regional rivals, Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox. However, with Victor Martinez in the clubhouse, things can turn out well for the side. The pitching
rotation is one area of consideration for General Manager, Jim Leyland. The gaffer has a list of pitchers lined up for the coming year and one man in particular has been gaining the attention from the media for some months now.
Armando Galarraga may not be on top of the pitching rotation, but his game on June 2, 2010, against the Cleveland Indians saw him lose the bid for a no hitter. Umpire Jim Joyce made a wrong call on a Jason Donald sprint to the
first base, which ruined the pitcher’s credentials for the year. Even though the umpire and the player made up after the event, the opportunity lost proved to be a hindrance for Armando.
The pitcher won only 4 games last season and there were speculations of the game having an impact on his career.
"I don't really think that perfect game thing ever became the circus that everybody thought it might become," Leyland said. "I think it was handled pretty well by everybody - Galarraga, the media. You know, he had his day and he
had his week or two to talk about it and discuss it, and people that wanted to be mad were mad and all that stuff. But I thought that was handled tremendous by both the media and Galarraga, and I thought that got over pretty quick.
For Galarraga, next year holds an opportunity and the Detroit Tigers would not mind bringing him back to the rotation for another try at the Major League season.
"I learned a lot with this season. I really did," Galarraga said at season's end. "I talked about something inside, something every player has inside. When you're a pitcher, you throw your uniform in the laundry on the last day.
At some point, you ask, 'Did I have a good year? Not too good. OK, I had a bad year.' But you know what makes me feel better? Right here, in your heart, you're doing everything you can, no matter what happens, no matter the result, if you're doing good or
doing bad.
Tags: