White Sox next for near-perfect Galarraga

DETROIT - Armando Galarraga knows he always will be remembered as the pitcher whose perfect game was ruined by an umpire's blown call.

The Detroit Tigers right-hander wants to be known for more than that.

"I want to keep doing my job and have a nice life as a baseball player for more than 10 years," Galarraga said. "I don't want this to be the only thing people talk about with me."

Galarraga will pitch for the first time since his brush with fame Tuesday night when he faces the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

"He ain't throwing a no-hitter against us," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen declared.

But Guillen also said he's looking forward to speaking with the fellow Venezuelan.

"I might talk to him after the game," Guillen told mlb.com. "He's throwing the ball better. Last year he struggled.

"There's going to be a lot of attention coming after that game. We are going to approach the same way we approached him in the past, and we had pretty good success against him in the past."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Galarraga wouldn't have made the start if he didn't have the 1-hit performance, but he will face the White Sox and the other pitchers in the rotation will get an extra day of rest.

Galarraga wants to finish the season strong - after starting it in the minors - and have a long and successful career to make his 1-hit game last week against the Cleveland Indians just a part of his story.

"For sure, I want more than that," he said.

"What happened with the umpire, there's nothing I can do about it."

Galarraga was at the center of a series of events that were so compelling the story transcended sports, meriting attention on national morning shows and creating a buzz on Twitter and Facebook.

With two outs in the ninth inning last Wednesday, Jim Joyce emphatically called Jason Donald safe when he was in fact out as replays clearly showed and the first-base umpire later admitted.

"I just cost that kid a perfect game," Joyce said somberly.

Galarraga handled the devastating moment with grace, smiling at Joyce and walking back to the mount. Unlike Leyland and some of his teammates, he didn't lash out at Joyce after the final out.

"I think he was very, very professional," Guillen said. "I swear to God, I had tears in my eyes. I think, 'Wow, this is a great thing for baseball.' "

"When people talk about perfect games, my name might not be on the official list, but everyone will talk about my game," he said. "The first 28-out perfect game."

The Hall of Fame has bagged the key evidence from the stolen perfect game. The Tigers have told the Hall they will donate the first-base bag, Galarraga's spikes and a ball from last week's near-miss at Comerica Park.