The move by Dave Dombrowski makes too much sense. Take a player that has really only been a .500 pitcher for the Tigers, and would be disgruntled by any form of demotion, and find him a situation where he is happy and can start. No Tigers fan or player really wants to see anything bad for Armando Galarraga. After all, his three years with the Tigers meant that every rough moment came with a shining smile and performance by Armando Galarraga. This move is more of an homage to a player who found himself again while playing for Detroit’s baseball stars.
While what happened on June 2, 2010 will go down for what didn’t happen, Galarraga’s 2008 season shines for all of the right reasons. In the Tigers’ only losing season of their past five campaigns, Galarraga led the team with a 13-7 record and an ERA of 3.73 in 26 starts. That team was built to hit the cover off the ball every night, instead they were run over by some of the league’s worst.
Through it all Galarraga wanted every chance to prove he could do it again on the mound and frequently found himself on the short end of the straw. Remember, he wasn’t even in the rotation until a May 16 call up against Boston. The infamous game happened to be his third start of the season and followed a tough loss after pitching eight against the Dodgers.
For 84 times taking the mound (77 of which were starts) and throwing everything from a side-armed slider to the wacky Eephus pitch that would occasionally show up, here’s to hoping that his career continues to soar in the desert. While it won’t be working within the rotation of Verlander-Scherzer-Coke-Porcello-Penny, Galarraga will have a chance to baffle another league.