The first bad thing came in the form of a blown call by umpire Jim Joyce on Wednesday night. Joyce called Indians batter Jason Donald safe at first on what should have been the final out of Detroit SP Armando Galarraga's perfect game. This would have been the third perfect game of the 2010 season. MLB has never seen more than two in a season.
Hopefully this blown call will spark some changes in the way MLB currently utilizes instant replay. As of now, instant replay is only used to determine if a home run ball was fair or foul, a ball cleared the fence on a home run, or if a home run ball was interfered with by a fan. Only the umpire crew chief can initiate the use of instant replay.
MLB needs to implement an NFL style instant replay. Allow managers one challenge per game. They must use this challenge within the first 7 innings of the game, and any debatable call in the 8th inning or beyond must be reviewed by the booth. Managers can choose to review a home run call, baserunning call, or a disputed catch in the outfield or infield, but not for ball or strike calls.
Opponents of instant replay in baseball often talk about instant replay being bad for the game because it would make an already long game longer. Umpire Joe West has also went on record this year as saying MLB games are too long, and the commissioner's office needs to find a way to move them along.
By implementing an NFL style replay, games will not drag along, as many people have said. By issuing each manager only one challenge, they likely will be reluctant to use it on plays that do not directly result in a run or a good scoring opportunity.
I don't think a few extra minutes a game would anger fans as long as they are assured that umpires got the call right. Instant replay needs to be expanded before a blown call ends up costing another team a playoff game, or series victory.
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