Dallas Braden to retire: 'I left my arm on the mound at the Coliseum, and I'm OK with that'

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Left-handed starting pitcher Dallas Braden is retiring at 30, writes the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser. 

About his left shoulder, Braden said:

"There is nothing left in there, it’s just a shredded mess. I left my arm on the mound at the Coliseum, and I’m OK with that."

Pass the Kleenex. 

Braden finishes his career with a 4.16 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 491 1/3 innings in five years, all with Oakland. He last pitched in the majors in 2011. 

He'll be remembered for throwing the 19th perfect game in baseball history, in 2010. It happened on Mother's Day, and Braden was able to celebrate the feat with his grandmother. His mother passed away when he was a teenager. About that fateful day, Braden said:

"That game will always define the one solid day of work I had and the fact that I got to share it with my grandmother, only a few people appreciate the magnitude of that. That was living the dream."

Seriously, pass the Kleenex. 

Braden was attempting a comeback, but his shoulder won't cooperate. 

"I wasn’t in a position to repeat my delivery, to pitch with any intention. That’s OK, I understood the odds I was facing. You have to face your mortality one day, and I have been so blessed in this game. If I take 10 minutes to be hacked off about it, it would be nine minutes too long. You can’t ask for more than I’ve been given, coming where my grandmother and I are coming from."

Braden hopes to stay involved with baseball, as a broadcaster or coach. We wish him the best.