:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/11991091/gyi0060405110.0.jpg)
Dallas Braden threw his last pitch in the big leagues in April 2011, and has since undergone two major shoulder surgeries, but that doesn't mean he's necessarily ruled out a return to the mound in the future. The 29-year-old southpaw hinted on Twitter Monday evening that he could be entertaining a comeback:
Dear baseball,It's late, i miss u. Been thinkin' bout u & me,1 more shot? We can make it work! Would a submarine delivery spice things up?
— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) April 22, 2013
While the seriousness of the tweet is really anyone's guess, he's only officially been out of professional baseball since the end of last season, so a return to the mound isn't really so crazy. Braden reportedly threw an inning at a Texas Tech alumni game in January, which indicates his shoulder may no longer be completely in tatters.
After three mediocre seasons with the A's, Braden shot to fame on May 9, 2010, when he threw the 19th perfect game in MLB history. The southpaw carried that success with him through to the end of the season, finishing with career-bests in ERA (3.50), strikeouts (113), and innings pitched (192⅔).
Braden got off to a good start in 2011 only to tear the anterior capsule in his throwing shoulder in mid-April, forcing him to miss the rest of the year. On his road to recovery from that injury, the left-hander proceeded to tear his rotator cuff, putting him on the shelf for 2012 as well.
Braden owns a career 4.16 ERA and 5.6 K/9 in 491⅓ innings over parts of five big-league seasons.
