ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Diamondbacks’ Hudson offers warning for those who hit Justin Upton

Feb 27, 2012, 9:59 PM | Updated: Feb 28, 2012, 8:15 pm

Diamondbacks All-Star Justin Upton was hit by 19 pitches
last season, the second-most in all of baseball.

“I’m not going to move,” Upton said at Fan Fest in early
February. “So, I’m going to stand in the same spot again.
We’ll see.”

Upton is the team’s best player, so it’s little surprise
he was the victim of more than a few “messages” sent by
other teams. And, as is baseball custom, no one would have
been surprised if Arizona’s pitchers showed they had their
teammate’s back by drilling opposing hitters square in
theirs.

That didn’t happen much last year, though, as the
Diamondbacks tended to retaliate with their bats more than
their arms, often times driving Upton in and scoring some
runs.

Upton said he expects things to be a little different this
season, and one of the team’s best pitchers agrees.

“It really kind of got brought to our attention like
halfway through the year,” Diamondbacks starter Daniel
Hudson told Arizona Sports 620’s Burns and Gambo about how
many times Upton was hit. “At the same point in time we’re
trying to get in a playoff push. Yeah, our players need to
get protected, but at the same time we need to concentrate
on winning the game.”

The Diamondbacks did that often last season, but the fact
that their star got drilled more than his fair share of
times was not lost on Hudson and the pitching staff. As a
pitcher, Hudson understands that no one misses that
far
inside unless they mean to, so it’s not as if the
bean balls were unintentional. It’s with that in mid that
the D-backs righty has a message for anyone planning on
plunking their right fielder.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Lourdes Gurriel Jr....

Alex Weiner

Diamondbacks keep good times rolling with 14-run inning, Opening Day rout of Rockies

What the Diamondbacks accomplished in the third inning against the Rockies on Thursday night was completely new for those in the ballpark. 

1 hour ago

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. flips his bat during Arizona Diamondbacks' 2024 Opening Day...

Arizona Sports

Diamondbacks score 14 runs in a single inning to beat Rockies on Opening Day

The Arizona Diamondbacks set franchise marks with 13 hits and 14 runs in the third inning of their 2024 Opening Day game against the Rockies.

5 hours ago

Blaze Alexander...

Alex Weiner

Blaze Alexander did all he could to make Diamondbacks’ Opening Day roster

Diamondbacks infielder Blaze Alexander put together a spring that made it too difficult for the team to send him back to the minor leagues.

8 hours ago

Ketel Marte celebrates...

Tyler Drake

Ketel Marte to lead off Arizona Diamondbacks’ Opening Day lineup

The Arizona Diamondbacks' Opening Day lineup is set ahead of their matchup against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.

12 hours ago

Jordan Montgomery throws a pitch...

Tyler Drake

Hall: Diamondbacks’ addition of Jordan Montgomery ‘made a lot of sense’

The Diamondbacks' addition of Jordan Montgomery puts a bow on a rotation that should be in the conversation for the top spot across MLB.

13 hours ago

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno...

Arizona Sports

Roundtable picks: One Diamondbacks young player to watch in 2024

Which Arizona Diamondbacks player should continue an upward trend in 2024? Gabriel Moreno, Brandon Pfaadt and Alek Thomas are possibilities.

14 hours ago

Diamondbacks’ Hudson offers warning for those who hit Justin Upton