Just posted on various news websites, Tim Hudson is reportedly retiring at the conclusion of this year.
I am genuinely sad about this and I have a feeling many of you are as well, even though Huddy hasn't been an Athletic for over a decade now (man, is that right?). Personally, Hudson's my favorite A's pitcher ever and my 2nd favorite pitcher overall. I feel that Hudson was the player who represented the A's rise to respectability after nearly a decade of futiliy and, as an undersized right hander drafted in the 6th round, he truly represented the A's Little Engine That Could identity that still remains today. Hell, I even rooted for him in Game 7 of the WS last year.
On top of my head, my favorite bits involving Hudson:
- The unlikely 6-2 win over Pedro and the Red Sox in the thick of the pennant race in 1999.
- 1999 SI article that described the A's unexpected rise with Hudson on the front spread of the article.
- The stirring September surge in 2000 when he went 6-0 with a 1-point-something ERA, including the final win of the season when he went the distance (or was it 8 innings?) and beat the Rangers while striking out 10, clinching the division.
- His 2003 season, when he was in the discussion as a top 2 or 3 Cy Young candidate all season before the mediocre September took him out of the running (even then, he finished with a Cy-worthy 7.5 bWAR).
- Post-2004 season, when Hudson was traded to the Braves and admitted to the news outlets, upon getting the expected trade call from Beane, that he shed tears.
The last one more than anything confirmed what I and likely a lot of you felt about Hudson, that he truly played for the A's with passion and loved being part of that brat-pack type A's squads in the early 2000s.
From all accounts, he's also a stand-up guy off the field and I wish him nothing but the best moving forward. I hope you all feel the same way.
