On May 9, 2010, Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum.

Braden threw a pitch outside of the strike zone, and had Kapler not swung at it, he would have drawn a walk and ended the perfect game.

[1] In baseball leagues that feature nine-inning games like Major League Baseball (MLB), this means the pitchers involved must record an out against 27 consecutive batters, without allowing any hits, walks, hit batsmen, uncaught third strikes, catcher's or fielder's interference, or fielding errors.

[1] It is widely considered by sportswriters to be the hardest single-game accomplishment in the sport, as it requires an incredible pitching performance, defensive support, and immense luck to pull off.

[1] Prior to Braden's perfect game, the most recent occurrence was in 2009, when Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox threw one against the Tampa Bay Rays.

[2] Dallas Braden made his debut for the Oakland Athletics in 2007 and, by 2009, had cemented his role as a starting pitcher for the team.

[4] Shortly before his perfect game, Braden made national headlines when he got into an argument with New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez.

"[5] Rodriguez dismissed the pitcher after the game and stated, "I really don't want to extend his extra 15 minutes of fame.

"[6] The argument became a notable story in New York-based tabloids, and many outlets like Pardon the Interruption echoed Rodriguez's remarks of Braden's supposed irrelevance.

"[9] The first batter of the game for the Rays was Jason Bartlett, who hit a line drive that forced third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff to make a jumping catch.

[11] Kouzmanoff then hit an RBI single in the third inning that scored first baseman Daric Barton to give the Athletics a 2–0 lead.

[11] In the fourth inning, Bartlett again threatened to end the perfect game when he hit a slow ground ball to Kouzmanoff, who had to make a running throw to an outstretched Barton to record the out.

[17] The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum has a notably large foul territory, which allowed Kouzmanoff to sprint after the pop-up and catch it just in front of the Athletics' dugout.

[18] Eventually, his grandmother Peggy Lindsey made her way onto the field, and the two hugged and kissed the Saint Christopher medallion Braden was wearing.

"[12] Three days later, Braden appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman to read the Top Ten List of thoughts that went through his mind while he threw the perfect game.

[24] When asked about the impact the perfect game had on his life, Braden remarked, "Without that, I don't know why I would have an opportunity to start on a national media scale at ESPN.