Dallas Braden Admits He Was Hungover for 2010 Perfect Game With Athletics
By Scott Rogust
Throwing a perfect game is already daunting enough. Having the stamina and pitch arsenal to get 27 straight outs against MLB hitters and come out unscathed is among the hardest things to do in sports, which makes it even crazier that former Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden accomplished this goal at less than 100%.
During an interview with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Braden revealed that he was completely hungover when he pitched his perfect game on May 8, 2010.
Dallas Braden comes clean: A's starter tells the @sfchronicle he was hung over for his 2010 perfect game. Much more from the best day of Braden's career - when he wasn't feeling his best: https://t.co/UDgOpGxUJK
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) May 6, 2020
Braden spent the night prior to his start drinking, which he admitted was something he never did. But, his start fell on Mother's Day, a difficult holiday for Braden. His mother, Jodie, passed away while he was in high school. Braden said that he just needed to forget about the depressing day before his start.
He showed up much later than usual to Oakland Coliseum, feeling under the weather after his evening with booze. His teammates knew he wasn't himself, and thought they'd be in for a long game.
On this date in 2010, which was Mother’s Day, Dallas Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in MLB history against Tampa Bay. It was the second by an Athletic and came 42 years and one day after Catfish Hunter did it against Minnesota on May 8, 1968. pic.twitter.com/NExjq6mVG6
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 9, 2018
As it turns out, the game lasted barely over two hours, and Braden got through 27 Tampa Bay Rays batters to secure the 19th perfect game in league history. To make the day even more special, Braden celebrated the achievement with his grandmother, Peggy, who raised him after his mother's passing.
Braden's performance will forever be remembered as arguably the greatest Mother's Day moment in the history of sports. And now, Braden is officially the second-ever pitcher to throw a perfect game while hungover (that we know of), with the first being former New York Yankees ace David "Boomer" Wells in 1998.