Oakland A’s pitcher Dallas Braden tossed the 19th perfect game in Major League history yesterday against the Tampa Bay Rays. He completely shut down the best team in the majors this season on his way to baseball immortality.
Braden made news a few weeks ago when he threw a hissy fit after Alex Rodriguez ran across the mound while returning to first base after a foul ball. Braden claimed A-Rod broke some unwritten baseball code by crossing his turf on the mound. Who knows if that rule really exists, but since it’s A-Rod on the other end, I’m 100% behind Braden.
A-Rod’s initial response to Braden’s rant was to laugh it off and basically say, “Who’s he? What’s he ever done?” And when asked about the incident a week later, A-Rod replied “I don’t want to extend his 15 minutes of fame.”
Well A-Rod, his 15 minutes just got extended into baseball eternity. After the game, Braden’s grandmother, who was in attendance for Mother’s Day (she took care of him after his mother passed away while he was in high school), was asked to comment on her grandson’s achievement. Her response: “Stick it, A-Rod.”
Amen, Grandma. Amen