X2 on bashby's comments. If the pedal doesn't return fully it could indicate a bushing problem.
BTW my pedal to MC bushing broke and I used my jumper cables to activate the starter from inside the cab so I could start in gear and get the truck home. Fortunately I got lucky and only had to start in gear about 4 times before I hit the highway. Many like to bash the Mazda but it speed shifted very well.
The rod is not available as a seperate part, it comes with the MC, but I was able to get one from my local junkyard. That was about 40k miles ago.