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NEW YORK -- A day before the anniversary of the game in which umpire Jim Joyce botched a call at first base that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game, Major League Baseball confirmed that Joyce is not allowed to umpire any series in which Galarraga's team plays, citing the pair's business relationship.
Joyce and Galarraga co-authored a book detailing the game last June 2 in which Joyce's call with two outs in the ninth inning kept the pitcher from tossing a perfect game. The book, "Nobody's Perfect: Two Men, One Call, and a Game for Baseball History," written with Daniel Paisner, is due out Thursday.
Galarraga is currently with the Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A team in Reno, but were he to return to the big leagues, the two would not be allowed to appear on a major league field together.
"The reason it was done was so that there wasn't any appearance of impropriety," MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said.
Umpire crews work together for the entire season, except when a member of the crew takes a vacation and a replacement ump is used. Joyce has already been replaced on a Diamondbacks series this season, during a May 6-8 series in San Diego in which Galarraga started the opening game. Larry Vanover replaced Joyce.
MLB will not let Jim Joyce umpire Armando Galarraga's games - ESPN