All that glitters is not gold

he 28-year-old right-hander from Venezuela, making his third start of the season, beat the Cleveland Indians 3-0 and lost the bid when first base umpire Jim Joyce ruled Jason Donald safe for an infield hit as he crossed the first-base bag as Galarraga was receiving a throw from first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who had fielded Donald’s grounder.

Tigers players and manager Jim Leyland angrily berated Joyce after Trevor Crowe made the final out, claiming replays showed Donald did not beat the throw.

After the game, however, Leyland and Galaragga both said they believed no one felt worse about the controversial call than Joyce.

Galaragga said Joyce apologized to him for getting it wrong.

I just cost the kid a perfect game,” said Joyce , who became a full-time umpire in 1989. “I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw until I was the replay. It was the biggest call of my career.”

Center fielder Austin Jackson make a running, over-the-shoulder catch in deep center field to apparently save the perfect game on a ball hit by Mark Grudzielanek leading off the ninth.

Galarraga then got Mike Redmond to ground out to shortstop before Donald’s grounder.

Galarraga smiled after receiving Cabrera’s throw, then smirked a bit seeing Joyce’s call. Cabrera was more emphatic, his gesture turning from exultation to angry disbelief after Joyce’s call.

After Galarraga finished his one-hitter, there was stunned silence in Comerica Park. Galarraga took the high road in a post-game interviews with Fox Sports Detroit and the MLB Network.

“I don’t know what to say (about) the decision in the ninth inning,” he said. “I’ll have to see the replay. “But I feel really good right now.

“That was my best game, so far. I hope I’ll keep going like that.”

Galaragga said he thought at least a no-hitter was within his grasp after Jackson’s running catch.

“When he got that catch it was like, c’mon. When I saw that play, I said, “You got it now, you got it.’”

Said Tigers manager Jim Leyland: “Jimmy’s a good umpire. But he probably got it wrong.”

Galaragga pitched the game of his life — 88 pitches, first-pitch strikes to 20 batters, the first 26 retired. It just wasn’t quite perfect.

So Galarraga fell a hair shy of duplicating the feats achieved earlier this season by Oakland lefty Dallas Braden and Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay, whose perfecto came just four days ago at Florida. It would have been just the 21st perfect game in major league history — but the fourth in the last calendar year, counting Mark Buehrle’s gem last July for the Chicago White Sox.

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