 Dallas Braden in 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | May 9, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City | Oakland, California | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Television | Comcast SportsNet California | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TV announcers | Glen Kuiper (play-by-play) Ray Fosse (color commentary) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On May 9, 2010, Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. It was the 19th perfect game in Major League Baseball history. Braden threw 109 pitches, struck out 6 of the 27 batters he faced, and had a game score of 93.
Braden's perfect game occurred on Mother's Day, a holiday he resented due to the death of his mother from melanoma. He got drunk the night before and was still suffering from the effects of a hangover when he got to the stadium. Of the 27 batters Braden faced, the at bats that posed the greatest threat were Jason Bartlett's at bat in the first inning and Gabe Kapler's at bat in the ninth inning. Bartlett hit a hit a line drive that forced third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff to make a jumping catch. In Kapler's at bat, Braden incorrectly believed the count was two balls and two strikes when it was actually three balls and one strike. Braden threw a pitch outside of the strike zone, and had Kapler not swung at it, he would have drawn a walk and ended the perfect game.
Braden's grandmother, Peggy Lindsey — who raised him after his mother died — was in attendance. After the final out was recorded, the two hugged on the field and kissed the Saint Christopher medallion Braden was wearing. Braden would suffer from injuries throughout the remainder of his career and retired from baseball in 2014. He then became a sports commentator for ESPN and NBC Sports California. In 2023, he provided commentary for Domingo Germán's perfect game against the Athletics, making him the only person to have both thrown a perfect game and called a perfect game as a commentator.