28 Outs: An Imperfect Story Debuts Sunday, Aug. 18, at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+

More than 14 years after it happened, baseball fans still discuss and debate the incredible story of Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect game and the man who took it away from him. A new edition of ESPN E60 recounts the game and its controversial ending, including new interviews with key participants in the story, and examines whether baseball should officially recognize Galarraga’s bid for perfection.

28 Outs: An Imperfect Story debuts on Sunday, Aug. 18, at 4 p.m. on ESPN, streaming afterward on ESPN+. On a day and evening of baseball on ESPN, the debut will follow a Little League World Series game and lead into Baseball Tonight at 5 p.m. and a New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers game telecast that follows.

On June 2, 2010, Galarraga, pitching for the Detroit Tigers, was just one out away from becoming just the 21st pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game. On what should have been the game’s 27th and final out, Cleveland’s Jason Donald hit a ground ball to first base and appeared to be out by a comfortable margin. Inexplicably, first base umpire Jim Joyce ruled Donald safe, spoiling Galarraga’s bid at perfection and opening himself up to worldwide infamy.

Ever since, there have been calls to have Galarraga’s name added to the Major League Baseball record books. The latest was a compelling argument by a law class at Monmouth University (NJ) that made its way to the highest levels of MLB.  E60 reporter Jen Lada sits down with both Galarraga and Joyce, along with more than 30 players, coaches, fans, and MLB executives including Commissioner Rob Manfred, to tell this incredible story and examine whether baseball could ever “right a wrong” that so many have called for.

In addition to Galarraga and Joyce (and members of their families), and Manfred, E60’s 28 Outs also features interviews with former MLB vice president of umpiring Mike Port; former Tigers manager Jim Leyland and former general manager Dave Dombrowski; longtime Tigers radio voice Dan Dickerson and several Tigers fans who were at the game.

Many of Galarraga’s Detroit teammates of the time are also interviewed including Brandon Inge, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Alex Avila, Ramon Santiago and Austin Jackson. Cleveland personnel interviewed from the game include players Travis Hafner and Jason Donald, former manager Manny Acta and former first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr.

Monmouth University professor Lawrence Jones and members of his Law and Society class, who produced an 82-page study and presented it to MLB in 2022 in an effort to get Galarraga recognized for a perfect game, are also part of the storytelling.

E60’s 28 Outs was produced and directed by Simon Baumgart.

The ESPN multiplatform presentation will include excerpts from 28 Outs featured in segments on Outside the Lines in SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight. The story also will be featured in an edition of the ESPN Daily Podcast.

The program will re-air on Sunday, Aug. 18, at 10 p.m. on ESPN2.

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