This Day in Sports History - 5/9/2010

Dallas Braden of the Athletics pitches a perfect game to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-0, at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland. The contest is on Mother's Day, a significant date to Braden because his mother died of cancer during his senior year of high school. Braden's only previous national exposure came two weeks earlier when he publicly criticized Alex Rodriguez for walking across the mound during a game. During the perfect game, Braden throws 109 pitches and strikes out six. In the tense ninth, Braden retires Willy Aybar on a lineout to first, Dioner Navarro on a fly ball to left field, and Gabe Kapler on a groundout. In a post-game interview, Braden's grandmother adds to the Braden-Rodriguez feud, saying: "Stick it, A-Rod."