245. "Safe, Then Sorry!" 7" x 10.5"

Size: 7 × 10.5 inches art print (not a comic book)
Availability: Pre-order ends Sunday, June 14th  at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET
Shipping: Expected to ship approximately 40–60 days after the purchase window closes. Estimated timeframe. Not guaranteed.

From the Artist:

I say this a lot, but it's true. There are moments in baseball that transcend the box score or a record book. In fact, this story is important because it's NOT in the record books.

Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect game is remembered for a missed call, but that has never been what has stuck with me. What remained with me was what happened next. In the instant that everything changed, Galarraga smiled. Whether it was disbelief, nervousness, grace, or some combination of all three, it revealed something deeper than the pursuit of perfection. It revealed character. Not the performative kind, but the in-the-moment, knee-jerk flash of character.

Just as memorable was Jim Joyce’s response. He did not hide from the mistake. He owned it immediately, publicly, and completely. In a game where pride often gets in the way, both men chose humility.

The longer I have reflected on this moment, the more I have come to believe that the story became greater because of the imperfection. A perfect game would have been historic. What followed became human, raw, and REAL. It reminded us of what I say often: that baseball is a perfect game played by imperfect people... people doing their best, and sometimes the grace shown after a mistake can leave a deeper legacy than perfection ever could.

What struck me was the absurdity of the situation. This beautiful, maddening, impossible game that grown men devote their lives to. One missed call changes history. One smile changes the way we remember it.

That's also why I approached this piece the way I did. The humor here isn't aimed at Galarraga or Joyce. Quite the opposite. I have enormous respect for both men. What I found myself responding to was the absurdity of the moment itself. The impossible tension between perfection and humanity. The fact that this game can break your heart and make you shake your head at the exact same time.

If anything, the humor became a way of elevating what both men showed us that night. Grace. Accountability. Perspective. Two people placed in an impossible situation who somehow managed to reveal the very best parts of themselves.

This piece is a tribute to that grace.