Dallas Braden
He authored baseball immortality on Mother's Day, pitching a perfect game for his hometown Athletics just years after personal tragedy.
Born 1983 (age 43)·American baseball player and analyst·Birthday: August 13·Millennials
Biography
Dallas Braden’s story is etched in the dual languages of baseball and profound personal loss. Raised in Stockton, California, by his grandmother Peggy, after his mother’s death from cancer when he was a teenager, Braden carried that weight onto the mound for the Oakland A’s. He was a competitor known for his fiery demeanor, but on May 9, 2010, he achieved a serene, historic perfection. Facing the Tampa Bay Rays on Mother’s Day, a date forever linked to his grandmother, he retired all 27 batters. The iconic image of him embracing Peggy after the final out transcended sport. His career, however, was cruelly shortened by a series of shoulder injuries, forcing his retirement by age 30. Never one to leave the game, Braden reinvented himself as a television analyst, bringing the same candid, unfiltered perspective he had as a player to the broadcast booth, ensuring his voice remained a part of baseball’s conversation.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Dallas was born in 1983, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dallas Was Born
The biggest hits of 1983
#1 Movie
Return of the Jedi
Best Picture
Terms of Endearment
#1 TV Show
60 Minutes
Dallas's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1983Born
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1988Started school
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1996Became a teenager
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Could drive
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2001Could vote
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2004Turned 21
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2013Turned 30
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 40
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 43 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Pitched the 19th perfect game in Major League Baseball history on May 9, 2010, for the Oakland Athletics.
- His perfect game was thrown on Mother's Day, a deeply personal tribute to his grandmother who raised him.
- Played his entire MLB career for the Oakland Athletics, from his 2007 debut to his final game in 2011.
- Successfully transitioned to a career as a primary baseball analyst for ESPN television broadcasts.
Did You Know?
He famously engaged in a heated verbal feud with Yankees star Alex Rodriguez after Rodriguez crossed over the pitcher's mound during a game.
Braden has a tattoo of his grandmother's lipstick kiss mark on his right arm.
He threw a perfect game in high school, foreshadowing his Major League feat.
“My grandmother is the reason I'm here. She's the reason I'm a big leaguer.”
