Dallas Braden definitely owns the mound now. Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in major league history on Sunday, shutting down the majors’ hottest team and leading the Oakland Athletics to a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Braden threw his arms in the air after Gabe Kapler grounded out to shortstop for the final out, his simmering feud with Yankees star Alex Rodriguez merely a footnote to the first perfect game for Oakland in 42 years. The closest the Rays got to a hit was Jason Bartlett’s(notes) liner to third leading off the game. Evan Longoria(notes) tried to bunt leading off the fifth, drawing boos from the small crowd. “Pretty cool,” Braden said. “I don’t know what to think about it just yet. There’s definitely a select group. I’d like to have a career more than today.” http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylt=Amxvk5OWByxvsTDcPz7_9dQRvLYF?gid=300509111
It was a very nice pitching performance I might say and good for him. A-Rod was talking a little smack, but still, gotta give the dude some credit.
