San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Hudson enjoyed years of success with the Oakland Athletics and Atlanta Braves before joining his new team this past spring. He made eight trips to the postseason and earned five division titles. Despite all this success, Hudson did not make it out of the divisional round of the playoffs a single time in his stops with both the A’s and Braves.
Heading into the 2014 offseason, Hudson had a decision to make. Atlanta wasn’t willing to pay him the money he thought he was worth. Meanwhile, both the A’s and Giants showed a tremendous amount of interest in his services. In fact, they were the two finalists to land the All-Star pitcher.
At 38 years old, Hudson made the decision to take a little more money and sign with a franchise that has had more postseason success rather than returning to where it all started for him back in 1999. The decision was made easier by the close proximity between Oakland and San Francisco and the fact that Hudson and his wife had lived in the Bay Area for many years before.
And it was a decision that enabled Hudson to join a veteran-laden squad that had a lot to prove after a down 2013 campaign.
After an up-and-down regular season that saw him struggle to the tune of 2-7 record and 4.73 ERA after the All-Star break, Hudson pitched the Giants to an important Game 2 victory over the Washington Nationals in the NLDS before pitching into the seventh inning in a Game 3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS.
And for Hudson, the success he’s seen this season has been special, as he indicated to a clubhouse full of teammates following the Giants series-clinching win over St. Louis on Thursday.
That’s why I came to San Francisco, just for this moment. I’ve been waiting for this for 16 years.
Maybe this is one unifying force for Bay Area baseball fans. The realization that someone who has been a huge part of the local baseball scene for so many years now finally has reached that elusive World Series. And with just one year remaining on what promises to be his final MLB contract, Hudson should savor it for as long as possible.
Photo: USA Today