Dallas Braden: Mouth That Roared

The Class A Stockton Ports opened a new ballpark in 2005, but the players still anchored at the old one. The day of the aboriginal practice, Daric Barton and Richie Robnett, both first-round abstract picks, formed into the old lot and alone off their cars: a Tahoe for Barton, a Range Rover with 24-inch rims for Robnett.

The next day, their new assistant Dallas Braden, a angular left-hander, approached them and asked if the cars did, indeed, accord to them. Warily, Barton said yes.

Well, it's a acceptable affair that I'm here, because a brace of my buddies came up to me allurement whose cars they were, because they capital to abduct them, Braden replied. I told them not to, because they were your guys.

And that, Barton said, was his aboriginal consequence of Braden: accomplish abiding you break on his acceptable side, or his buddies from Stockton may abduct your car.

Five years later, the arena confused to the Oakland Coliseum, about 70 afar west of Stockton. There were two outs in the basal of the ninth inning Sunday, and Braden, now casting for the ancestor club, the Athletics, had retired all 26 Tampa Bay hitters.

The calculation was 3-1 to Gabe Kapler, but Braden did not apprehend it; he anticipation his 2-1 fastball had abrupt the alfresco bend for a strike. The catcher, Landon Powell, alleged for a fastball, and Braden delivered one at 87 afar per hour. Kapler bounced to ambush Cliff Pennington, and at aboriginal base, Barton's apperception abounding with details.

The aboriginal affair was get to the bag, he said. The additional affair was accomplish abiding you bolt the ball. But my legs were shaking, my eyes were jumping all over the place, and I was nervous. I capital to bless afore I got the ball. It was boxy to just break there. Once I bent the brawl and captivated assimilate that sucker, afresh it was all anniversary and happiness.

Barton bent the brawl and answerable against Braden, wrapping him in an embrace. Powell and Pennington, aswell first-round picks, abutting the celebration. Braden had just authored the 19th absolute bold in above alliance history, an underdog defying the allowance again.

"His name will be alike with it for as continued as we live, as continued as our kids live, as continued as anybody around," said Todd Steverson, the Athletics first-base coach, who managed Braden in Stockton. "He's categorical his name in there, and you can't yield it abroad from him."