What People Are Saying About Braden’s Perfect Mother’s Day

Visits: 0

A Memorable Mother’s Day 2010

Picture taken from Yahoo Images

As a reminder, Dallas Braden did this against the major league’s hottest team, the Tampa Bay Rays who hold the best record in all of baseball at this point in the season!

Here’s what former A’s teammate Dana Eveland had to say about his friend’s perfect game, “I got to see the last couple innings,” Eveland said on Monday at Fenway Park. “I got a little choked up last night after that last out when his grandma came out on the field. I used to go to Stockton after games occasionally, and we’d hang out with his grandma,” Eveland said. He also commented on his feelings about seeing her on the field with her grandson. “So it was pretty cool to see all of that yesterday. It was nuts. That was pretty cool. His grandma raised him basically,” Eveland said. “Even when his mom was around, he spent a lot of time with his grandma. They were always really, really close, so that was really cool. I’m really happy for him.” Hat tip to By Jordan Bastian of MLB.com and his article, “Eveland a bit emotional over perfect Braden: Ex-teammate of A’s hurler recalls meeting famous grandma“.

One of 2010’s hottest pitchers who threw the year’s first no-hitter (on April 17th), Rockies SP Ubaldo Jimenez also spoke out about Braden’s accomplishment, even though the two do not know each other. “It’s great to see somebody else doing it, especially a perfect game — he’s been blessed,” Jimenez said. “It’s not easy to have one of those. It’s not even easy to throw three or four innings without a hit. Anyone can get a hit, even a pitcher, and they don’t have a pitcher hitting. Like I said, God wanted you to have one of those.” The Jimenez quote, and the next quotes cam from Alden Gonzalez’s article on MLB.com titled, “Baseball marvels at Braden’s perfect game: Players moved by left-hander’s Mother’s Day gem”

“I feel good about my no-hitter, but a perfect game, there is nothing like that,” said Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez, who hurled a no-no as a rookie in ’06. “That’s being perfect. No walks. I’m proud for him.”

“He has to really pitch to do something that special,” said Brewers third-base coach Brad Fischer, who was in his final season as the A’s bullpen coach when Braden arrived in the Majors in ’07. “He’s not just going to go out and blow them away. The fact he put a whole game together like that is very impressive.” Fischer admitted that “some alarms went off” when he first met Braden and saw “209” scribbled on his cleats, but he eventually learned that “he’s a good kid. I don’t think there was ever any doubt about his makeup,” Fischer said. “He’s a tough kid. He was never fearful, and I think that works to his benefit. I’m happy for him. They’re never going to be able to take that away.”
“To see the madness that has ensued since, it’s surreal,” said Marlins reliever Dan Meyer, a former A’s pitcher who roomed with Braden at Triple-A and in the big leagues, even staying at his grandmother’s house one time. “I heard he did the ‘Today Show.’ I’m proud of him. Not only was he a teammate, he’s a real good friend of mine. To accomplish something that has only been done 19 times in the history of Major League Baseball, it’s amazing.”

For a good article on “Measuring just how unlikely Braden’s perfect game really was” from
Cliff Corcoran of SI.com, please follow the previously provided link.

And Bostonian Howard Ulman of SI.com added these final quotes from his piece “Oakland’s Braden is perfect against Rays“.

Picture also taken from Yahoo Images

First, from the man of the hour, Dallas Braden speaks about his day on Sunday, “Pretty cool,” I don’t know what to think about it just yet. There’s definitely a select group. I’d like to have a career more than today.”

Then there was this comment from Braden’s favorite 3B Alex Rodriguez, “I’ve learned in my career that it’s always better to be remembered for some of the good things you do on the field, and good for him,” Rodriguez said before facing Boston. ” He threw a perfect game. And, even better, he beat the Rays.”
He’s a gem from the Ray’s skipper, “I’m a bad omen. That’s the third perfect game and fourth no-hitter I’ve been on the wrong side of,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. ” When Kenny Rogers threw his I was the bullpen coach. If you want to see another one, just follow me around.”
Braden had this to say about Mother’s Days since his mother passed away, “It hasn’t been a joyous day for me in a while,” Braden said. ” With my grandma in the stands, it makes it a lot better.” On Mother’s Day 2009, Braden was struck by a line drive off the bat of Blue Jays CF Vernon Wells and Braden had this to say about the two Mother’s Days. “You know, a year later you don’t expect anything like this,” he said. ” I’m just happy to be putting on the costume a year later.”

Then spoke of his past efforts, “Little League, I got a couple of them under my belt,” Braden said. ” In the bullpen, I’m damn near perfect every day.”

Braden, known for his quick whit, had this to say about his third baseman’s foul ball catch, going down the dugout steps in the 8th on a Carlos Pena batted ball. “I told him he needs to quit stealing my thunder,” Braden said. ” He makes ridiculous plays.”
There was also a rare quote from Sunday’s home plate umpire Jim Wolf on the day’s events. ” You do get caught up in it a little bit.”

And that caps off our recap of the historic event from May 9, 2010 (Mother’s Day). I hope you enjoyed it as much as I took writing it for you!