This past Sunday, Dallas Braden, of the Oakland A's, threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays. There are many amazing feats in athletics, but to me, a baseball purist, throwing a perfect game may just top them all. There have only been 19 perfect games in the 100 year plus history of Major League Baseball. A perfect game requires a complete team effort. Twenty seven hitters are all retired without any of them reaching base. The pitcher cannot make any mistakes, such as walking a hitter, hitting a batter with a pitch, or leaving a pitch out over the middle of the plate that is likely to be crushed for a base hit. It also requires a tremendous effort on the part of the defense, to commit no errors, and likely make a great play or two to preserve the perfect game. Braden also accomplished this feat against the Rays, who at the time had the best record in baseball. A perfect truly is a rare and remarkable feat.
