His bid for a perfect game was ruined one out short when first-base umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly ruled that Indians batter Jason Donald reached first base safely on a ground ball.

Two more runs scored in the eighth inning when Austin Jackson singled, then advanced on an infield hit by Johnny Damon.

[7] In the top of the ninth inning, Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson executed an over-the-shoulder catch on the run to retire Cleveland's Mark Grudzielanek for the first out and preserve the perfect game.

Jackson's play has been compared to DeWayne Wise's leaping catch at the wall in the ninth inning that preserved Mark Buehrle's perfect game in 2009.

On July 4, 1908, Hooks Wiltse of the New York Giants, perfect through 26 batters, hit Philadelphia Phillies pitcher George McQuillan on a 2–2 count in a scoreless game.

His immediate reaction to Joyce's on-field ruling was a momentary pause followed by a wry smile at the umpire before returning to the mound.

The two shook hands and a tearful Joyce gave the pitcher a pat on the shoulder, with a warm reception from the audience.

[20] Joyce's accountability and regret, and Galarraga's sportsmanship, were widely praised for turning the unfortunate situation into a positive.

He is safe at first base!1-1 pitch, swing and a ground ball right side, backhanded by Cabrera, he's going to turn, throw to first and..

A swing and a ground ball to the right side, Cabrera backhands it, sets, throws to Galarraga, NOT IN TIME!Many people within Major League Baseball spoke out in support of Joyce, offering their sympathies and noting his exceptional reputation.

"[22] Pappas' own bid for a perfect game on September 2, 1972, was spoiled when umpire Bruce Froemming called a borderline 3-and-2 pitch to 27th batter Larry Stahl a ball, issuing a walk to the pinch-hitter.

[23][24][25] Many journalists also advocated for MLB commissioner Bud Selig to overturn Joyce's call and award a perfect game to Galarraga.

[16][20] On June 3, Selig announced that Major League Baseball would look at expanded replay and umpiring, but he did not specifically address Joyce's call.

[28] Less than two weeks after the controversial game, ESPN The Magazine released an anonymous poll of 100 current MLB players that named Joyce as the best umpire in Major League Baseball.

[31] Former SportsCenter co-host Keith Olbermann dedicated a special edition of the "Worst Person in the World" segment of his political commentary show Countdown to lambasting Bud Selig's refusal to reverse Joyce's call.

Olbermann went on to cite Lee MacPhail's handling of George Brett's 1983 Pine Tar Incident as an example of a commissioner overruling an umpire's call, and discussed the matter with both Governor Granholm and documentarian Ken Burns.

[3] The day after the botched call, in a ceremony before the Tigers' game, General Motors presented Galarraga with a red 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport convertible, recognizing his outstanding performance on and off the field.

GM North American president Mark Reuss said that the way in which Galarraga had handled the situation deserved recognition.

[32] Galarraga was presented with a "Medal of Reasonableness" by Jon Stewart at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear for his measured response.

[33] On July 14, 2010, Joyce and Galarraga together presented the ESPY Award for Best Moment at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

The winner was the stoppage-time goal scored by Landon Donovan for the United States against Algeria at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

[34] In April 2022, a law class at Monmouth University collaborated to create an 82-page document addressed to Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred, arguing that Galarraga should be retroactively awarded the perfect game distinction.

The document cited the Pine Tar Incident and Harvey Haddix's former no-hitter as precedent for the league retroactively changing the statistics and outcomes of official games.

In appreciation of the class's efforts, Galarraga conducted a Zoom video meeting with the students to express his gratitude.

[35] Manfred would not overturn the call, claiming that doing so “would open a Pandora's box of issues from the history of the game where past and future errors would constantly be vulnerable to scrutiny and disputes."

[36] Galarraga and Joyce, along with Daniel Paisner, released a book titled Nobody's Perfect, chronicling their experiences during and after the game.