Dallas Braden replaces Mark Mulder as a part-time color commentator for the Oakland Athletics NBCSCA commentary team.
Dallas Braden, former Oakland Athletics pitcher and ESPN Baseball Tonight personality, will take on the color analyst role in 2018 for NBC Sports California.
Oakland Athletics beat writer Susan Slusser reported that Braden will be the color analyst for 35 of the A’s 81 home game telecasts in 2018.
Braden, sporting a straight up incredible beard, thanked the fans via his personal Twitter account for their support after the move was announced.
Thank you for all the support & well wishes. I am EXTREMELY excited for 2018 & can’t wait to catch some A’s baseball with you folks. #BAYseball #TownBiz #MoundofEmotion pic.twitter.com/yz3eg24xB3
— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) January 10, 2018
Braden should be well-known to Athletics fans during his short stint in the league. After being drafted by Oakland out of Texas Tech University in the 24th round in 2004, Braden made his MLB debut on Apr. 24, 2007 allowing just one run over six innings pitched.
Over a five-year stretch from 2007-2011, Braden pitched 94 games for Oakland, finishing with a 26-36 record and a 4.16 ERA. His best season came in 2010 when he went 11-14 with a 3.50 ERA, five complete games and two shutouts. A lingering shoulder issue forced Braden into retirement in 2014 after missing two and a half seasons.
Braden’s most prolific moment in the A’s green and gold came on Mother’s Day, May 9, 2010, when he pitched the league’s 19th perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays in front of the hometown fans. As if a perfect game wasn’t sweet enough, Braden did so with his grandmother Peggy Lindsey in attendance. Lindsey raised Braden in Stockton, Ca, just a few hours away from the Coliseum after his mother died of cancer. Their embrace at the end of the game remains one of my favorite moments as an Oakland Athletics fan.
Always a firecracker, fans might also remember Braden’s exchange of words with Alex Rodriguez that same season. On April 22, 2010, Rodriguez drew Braden’s ire after stepping on the pitcher’s mound in between innings. Rodriguez’s actions broke what many consider one of baseball’s many unwritten rules. Braden was caught by cameras shouting “get off my mound!” in Rodriguez’s direction.
We can only hope that Braden brings that same fire and energy to the announcers’ booth in 2018. Unfortunately, the announcement was coupled with the sad news that Braden will replace fellow Oakland alum, Mark Mulder on the commentary team.