Dallas Braden wrote his name into Major League Baseball's history books yesterday by pitching a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Braden, 26, needed only 109 pitches to get all 27 outs, striking out six as he led the A's to a 4-0 win.

The Oakland Athletics left-hander became only the 19th pitcher in MLB history to achieve the feat, and the first A's pitcher to do it since Catfish Hunter in 1968. The last perfect game in major league history was thrown by Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox last July.

"There are not that many of them. It's pretty special," Braden said. "I don't really know what to think of it yet. It's still very fresh to me. It's some very select company. Also, those guys – if you look at the body of work those other 18 individuals put together – that's something I'd like to have a little more than just one day. So there's definitely more to do."

The Rays were enjoying an impressive start to the season in which they held a 22-8 record heading into the game. The A's general manager, Billy Beane, believes the fact that Braden's perfect game came against one of the best teams in the league makes it extra special.

He said: "It was a great day, Dallas was phenomenal. Really, the thing about it is if you're going to pitch a perfect game, that's a team over there that you wouldn't want to choose to try and do it against. They have great plate discipline, speed, everything. So it makes it even more special and quite an accomplishment."

The New York Yankees could not take advantage of the Rays' miserable night as they slipped to a 4-3 defeat to their bitter rivals the Boston Red Sox. Jeremy Hermida homered and drove in three runs as the Red Sox avoided being swept in their series and snapped the Yankee's six-game winning streak.

Fred Lewis hit a three-run homer as the Toronto Blue Jays edged the Chicago White Sox 9-7. The Los Angeles Angels' recent revival came crashing to an end as they slumped to an 8-1 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Mariners.

Cleveland Indians snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Detroit Tigers with a 7-4 win which saw them claim a split in a rain-shortened two-game series. Elsewhere, the Texas Rangers completed a four-game sweep over the Kansas City Royals with a 6-4 triumph, while the Minnesota Twins beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-0.

In the National League, the Central leaders St Louis Cardinals got back to winning ways with an 11-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cardinals have hit a recent slump and had lost four of their past five games. They are nevertheless four games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds who beat the Chicago Cubs 5-3. The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atalanta Braves by the same scoreline.

The Houston Astros recorded only their second victory in 13 games as they edged NL West leaders the San Diego Padres 4-3, with Hunter Pence driving in the game-winning run in the 11th inning. The San Francisco Giants are within touching distance after snapping the New York Mets' nine-game home winning streak with a 6-5 triumph.

In the day's other games, Washington Nationals edged the Florida Marlins 3-2, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 2-0 and the Arizona Diamondbacks crashed to a 6-1 defeat against the Milwaukee Brewers.