Deja view: As unlikely as it seems, for the second time in less than a year, somebody has pitched a perfect game against the Rays. This time it was the Oakland Athletics’ Dallas Braden, who did it last Sunday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Notably, there were only 12,000 in attendance to see Braden’s performance for the second place A’s. That’s about what the Rays’ drew when the A’s were in St. Pete the previous week. It’s a reminder that these are the two MLB teams with more in common than winning records and Bay area venues. They are Exhibits A and B for franchises with serious facility and attendance issues — and consequently subject to “relocation” speculation.
For the record, the A’s, who play in one of those old-style, multi-purpose stadiums, are reportedly eyeing San Jose, the biggest city (950,000) in the country without pro baseball, football or basketball.