SAN FRANCISCO — Tim Hudson walked off the mound, waved to fans who have fully embraced him from his first day in San Francisco, hugged a line of teammates and whipped his Giants cap into the roaring crowd. He’s three games from life after baseball, and he’s thrown his final big league pitch.
What’s next?
“Gosh, that’s hard to say,” Hudson said. “A summer vacation, for one, which will probably revolve around baseball and going to baseball games. I love this game. I’ve been blessed to play this game, a game I love. I’m looking forward to the next chapter, I’m looking forward to spending time with my kids and doing things I haven’t been able to do the last 17 years.”
[PAVLOVIC: Instant Replay: Giants come up short in Hudson's swan song]
The final line in Hudson’s final start: 2 1/3 innings, 3 hits, 3 earned. But that didn’t put a dent in a career that’ll get Hudson Hall of Fame consideration and at the very least has put a ring on his finger. He retired as the active wins leader, taking a 222-132 record and 3.49 ERA into his first winter as an ex-pitcher. Hudson threw 3,126 2/3 innings and struck out 2,080 big league hitters.
“You’re with a guy who just had a tremendous career,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “You’ll be talking about the Hall of Fame with this guy. It’s been an honor. We’re very appreciative of what he’s done here and just getting to know him. Over the years, you get a chance to spend time with some great players and get to know them, and he’s been one of them for me.”
Hudson called this team the best group of teammates he’s ever had. He said Giants fans are the best in sports and said last year’s title was the highlight of a 17-year career. The appreciation poured out of all corners over the last two weeks, with Hudson getting honored by teammates, A’s fans and then Giants fans. He got a standing ovation when Bochy came with the hook Thursday, and the Dodgers lined up to applaud, too. Madison Bumgarner was the first to hug Hudson after a series of hugs with Bochy and infielders on the mound.
“I was surprised how I was able to hold it together,” said Hudson, whose voice cracked a couple of times as he spoke to reporters. “The last couple of weeks have been a little bit of an emotional roller coaster. It’s been fun. I’ve had so much fun over the last 17 years. Today was a really special day for me.”
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Hudson has one more ceremony this weekend. Then, as he has joked, he’ll become a grinning Uber driver for his two daughters and young son. Eventually he’ll be eligible for the Hall of Fame, and while Hudson’s numbers don’t make him a likely choice, he’s going to get consideration as the era he plays in gets further scrutinized. Playing against a generation of enhanced sluggers, the 175-pounder held his own for most of two decades. Hudson said it’s hard for him to “get my head around” Hall of Fame talk.
“If that’s something that down the road is considered, obviously I would be honored and humbled,” he said. “When people talk about the hall of Fame stuff, it kind of makes me laugh because this year was tough.”
It was one of the roughest of Hudson’s career, but the 40-year-old went out to a standing ovation.
“He just had a wonderful career,” Bochy said. “Hopefully he takes some time to look back at what he accomplished.”
--- Jeremy Affeldt followed Hudson on the mound with an early relief appearance. No, Madison Bumgarner was not up next. Bochy said they joked about this being like Game 7 of the World Series.
“I’m glad it went better in the seventh game,” he said.
--- If you missed it earlier, here’s a long story on Jeremy Affeldt’s retirement. And here’s Ryan Vogelsong saying “the writing is on the wall” when considering another reunion with the Giants.
--- They filmed a bunch of scenes for the new “Full House” at the ballpark today, and it was odd (it would have been really odd if this game mattered). “Stephanie Tanner” butchered the seventh-inning stretch on purpose and was booed by a crowd that was egged on and she kept saying something garbled about Hunter Pence. It was odd, and players looked around wondering what was going on. Brett Anderson was on the mound and he kept looking around, maybe for Ashton Kutcher.
“I didn’t know what the hell that was. That was terrible,” Anderson told Dodgers reporters, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t know if that was serious or what was happening. I had to lock it back in. I guess they were filming for the show. I thought it was just her being awful at singing. I had to collect myself there for a second. Then I felt really bad. You’re not used to that too much, where you’re in the middle of an inning, they’re filming some T.V. show and she’s yelling at players and fans and stuff. It was different.”
A reporter asked Anderson if he was a fan of the show.
“I was,” he said. “But I never watched it while I was pitching.”
That's one of the quotes of the year.
--- A final note on the two retiring guys …
I really didn’t know what I was doing when I got on this beat in 2012, but a bunch of guys in that clubhouse made life easier as I tried to figure out how to cover a baseball team every day. Affeldt was one of them, always willing to provide a quote or explain his view on a pitch or game or teammate. He is honest and genuine and one of the funniest quotes in baseball, and the world will be a better place because of the endless charity work he does away from the field.
I grew up in the Bay Area and went to plenty of A’s games in the summers because you could get in for a dollar on Wednesdays and get a hot dog for the same price. It was the perfect deal for a bunch of teenagers who could pile into a minivan, drive up to Oakland and have a hell of a night for about $6. Hudson was often on the mound and when I went to UCSB, two guys in my dorm had ‘Big Three’ posters in their rooms. Hell, I had a Hudson bobblehead on my desk. Years later, I somehow ended up covering him, and there honestly isn’t a more down-to-earth player in the game. Hudson didn’t have to be this accommodating. He’s been a star since one of his beat writers was in high school, but I never saw him turn down an interview, or a request or even seemingly have a bad day. The Huddy that you’ve seen on TV and wished you could have a beer with is the guy who shows up in the clubhouse every day.
Last September, Bumgarner got many of the votes for the “Good Guy” award given out by the local media. I voted for Bumgarner but Hudson won, and I thought it would be kind of awkward to give the award to Bumgarner's clubhouse neighbor since the left-hander had jokingly lobbied for the award much of the season. When he found out Hudson had won, Bumgarner smiled.
“That’s okay,” he said. “He’s a good guy, too.”
That just about sums it up.
