Tim Hudson

Did You Know?

• Hudson attended Glenwood School in Phenix City, Alabama, leading the team to the 1993 AISA state championship as a senior.
• He was a sinkerballer who used that pitch about half the time at 87–91 mph, with a cutter, curveball, splitter, and four-seam fastball also in his repertoire.
• Hudson and his wife, whom he met while at Auburn, have two daughters and one son and are active in philanthropy through the Hudson Family Foundation.

College career

Hudson began his college career at Chattahoochee Valley Community College (CVCC). As a freshman, he earned First-team All American honors, leading CVCC to the AJCCC Division II championship while topping the team in batting average (.385), home runs (9), RBI (42), wins (10–2), and strikeouts (76). As a sophomore, he was named Second-team All American and set school and conference records with 117 strikeouts, which also led the nation. He then transferred to Auburn University, where he played two seasons.

In his junior year, he played all 65 games as both a pitcher and outfielder, hitting .396 with 18 home runs and 95 RBI while posting a 15–2 record and a 2.97 ERA as a pitcher. He earned SEC Player of the Year and consensus All-American honors, becoming the first player named First Team All-SEC at two positions (pitcher and outfielder) in the same year. The Oakland Athletics drafted him in the sixth round of the 1997 amateur draft.

Professional career

Tim Hudson was selected by the Oakland Athletics in two different drafts: the 35th round in 1994 and the 6th round in 1997, ultimately signing with the team in 1997. He debuted in the majors on June 8, 1999, starting five innings against the San Diego Padres and giving up three earned runs in a 5-3 loss. His first win came five days later, on June 13, when he allowed just one run over seven innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 9-3 victory.

As a rookie, Hudson posted an 11-2 record and placed fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Alongside lefties Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, he formed Oakland's celebrated "Big Three." In 2000, he achieved a career-high 20 wins with a 4.14 ERA, finishing second in AL Cy Young Award voting behind Pedro Martinez. Over the next three seasons, his records were 18-9 in 2001, 15-9 in 2002, and 16-7 in 2003, the latter featuring a career-low 2.70 ERA.

An injury limited him to 27 starts in 2004, where he went 12-6. His overall numbers with the A's stood at 92-39 with a 3.30 ERA.

Before the 2005 season, the Athletics traded Hudson to the Atlanta Braves for Charles Thomas, Dan Meyer, and Juan Cruz. He notched his 100th career win on August 6, 2005, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 8-1. In January 2006, he was selected for Team USA's roster in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. His second year with the Braves proved difficult, as he set career highs in losses (12) and ERA (4.86) in 2006.

He rebounded in 2007, finishing 16-10 with a 3.33 ERA and a nine-game winning streak, the second such streak of his career. On April 25, 2007, he struck out a career-high 13 batters against the Florida Marlins. On April 29, 2007, both his grandmother and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock—his former college teammate at Auburn—passed away. Before his next start, Hudson drew his grandmother's initials on the pitcher's mound and sewed Hancock's initials (JH) onto his jersey. He pitched eight innings, allowing two earned runs, in a 5-2 Braves win, though he did not receive a decision.

Coaching career

In 2016, Hudson served as a guest instructor in spring training for both the Braves and Giants. He returned as a spring training instructor for the Giants in 2017 and for the Braves in 2018. In January 2020, he was named pitching coach for the Auburn Tigers. On July 27, 2022, he stepped away from Auburn and shortly thereafter accepted the position of head coach for the Lee-Scott Academy baseball team. He stepped down after one season but continued coaching as a volunteer.