The last time Dallas Braden saw the Tampa Bay Rays they shooed him off the mound after only four innings. It appears he may have taken exception to that.
Dallas Braden celebrates after completing his masterpiece. Photo: Associated Press
That start against the Rays on the twenty-eighth of April is the lone blemish to Braden’s record in that it is the only time this season that the young lefty didn’t got at least six innings and give up three or fewer earned runs. He lost that game as well as his next, but pitched impressively in the latter.
He came into his start today, May 9, with a 4-2 record and a 4.14 ERA. His 3/1 strikeout/walk ratio – 22 strikeouts to seven walks – in his first six starts was impressive enough for a 26 year-old, but now he has a perfect game on his resume.
Last July Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game, the eighteenth in history, and I argued that it was really only the sixteenth. I discussed the history of the perfecto in one of my first columns for Grand Central Sports. And now I don’t really think I need to do that again here.
This is a ridiculously amazing feat.
Dallas Braden showed in his first start of the season that he was something special. In that start he struck out ten Seattle Mariners while only walking one over seven innings. Since then he has been a legit number-two starter for a very strong Oakland pitching staff.
He struggled through spring training entering the regular season with a 5.91, a 1.59 WHIP and opponents had a batting average of .358 against him. Today they batted .000 – 0-27
Braden’s perfecto came against the same team as Mark Buehrle’s less than one year ago. His perfect game against the Rays made them the third team to ever to fall to multiple perfect games. The Minnesota Twins (David Wells and Catfish Hunter) and Los Angeles Dodgers (Tom Browning and Dennis Martinez) are the other two teams.
Not to take anything away from Buehrle, but the Tampa Bay Rays are far better this year than they were last season. The Rays have the sixth best batting average in the American League. They have the fifth best on-base percentage and have scored the second most runs in the American League. They come into the day one half of a game ahead of the Yankees in the AL East Division race.
The Rays grounded out seven times, flew out nine times, struck out six times and never got a solid read on Dallas Braden.
Congratulations to Dallas Braden – this is one of the only feats that one can say is superior to induction in baseball’s hall of fame. For one day, in doing something that he has devoted his entire life to, Dallas Braden can say he was absolutely perfect. Only eighteen other major league ball players can say they have ever done this – only sixteen of them since pitchers have stood 60 feet away from the batter.
NateWorthy Notes:
______________________
To check out my column on the history of the perfect game, written last July, Click This Link
May 11th, 2010 at 5:44 am
I am impressed with Braden’s turnaround. Longoria trying to bunt was a bush move. No power hitter is supposed to bunt. I hope that Longoria doesn’t turn into a putz like A-Rod by continually breaking unwritten rules.