Leave it to Joe Posnanski to write the definitive piece on Dallas Braden’s perfect game on Sunday. As Joe reminds everyone, the odds of Braden ever making it to the majors were slim enough, let alone the chance he could ever pitch perfection.
Posnanski: Remember, Dallas Braden Was Never A Prospect
He was the 1,383rd player taken after he graduated from Alonzo Stagg High in Stockton, Calif. He just showed up at American River College in Sacramento — the American River coach, Kevin Higgins, has said in interviews that he had never heard of Braden — and he played well enough there to get a chance to play for Texas Tech. He pitched well enough at Texas Tech — had a 4.56 ERA for the season, but had a couple of big wins — that he was drafted in the 24th round by Oakland. Teams tend not to think all that much about guys they take in the 24th round; it’s a good bet that Braden was drafted because he threw a screwball. Hey, nobody throws a screwball anymore.
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