Hudson has quite a night in CG win over White Sox

Daniel Hudson was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the
Arizona
Diamondbacks July 31st, 2010.

On June 17, 2011 the righ-hander showed his former team
what they are
missing out on.

“Obviously it was a little bit special, but I didn’t have
any different mentality
going out there than I have the whole year, it’s just
another game for me,”
Hudson said after the complete-game, one which the D-backs
won 4-1.
Still, he admitted, “going against the team that drafted
me and gave me my
first chance in the big leagues was a lot of fun and to be
able to do what I
did was cool.”

Cool may not sum it up.

Hudson did not allow a run until the 7th inning, when Paul
Konerko blasted
a solo home run to left field. He gave his bullpen a much-
needed night off
and he notched his first career complete game. He also
drove in a run with
a double.

But it was his work from the mound that was most
impressive, as Hudson,
threw a career-high 119 pitches in the win.

Then again, things got a little close in the ninth inning.
Hudson hit Carlos
Quentin to lead off the frame, and with closer J.J. Putz
warmed up in the
bullpen, it seemed like Hudson’s chances of finishing the
game were on
thin ice.

“It was getting close,” manager Kirk Gibson said of the
point where he
would have pulled Hudson. “I was begging for a double play
ball.”

Ask and you shall receive, as Hudson struck out Konerko
and then got A.J.
Pierzynski to ground into a game-ending double play.

In truth it was that kind of night for the home team.

An announced crowd of 26,053 saw Justin Upton collect
three hits, raising
his average to .299, as well as timely hitting from Kelly
Johnson and Miguel
Montero.

“It was a fun night overall,” shortstop Stephen Drew said
who, while not
reaching base, probably had the biggest impact on the
game, second of
course to Hudson, recording 11 assists.

“I think him and Stephen had a little pact going into the
game,” Gibson
quipped, “when’s the last time you saw that?

“It’s a good sight, Stephen’s pretty sure-handed.”

He was on this night, tracking down everything hit in his
direction and only
being charged with one error, a tough call after a throw
appeared to pull
Juan Miranda ever-so-slightly off the bag at first.

But, as one may have guessed, this game was really all
about the man on
the mound and whatever extra motivation he may or may not
have had in
facing his former team.

“When Huddy goes out there he’s going to give you all he
has anyways,
whoever he’s facing,” Drew said.

Then again, Hudson was pretty adamant, as Gibson said,
about finishing
what he started Friday night.

“I was very happy he was going to let me go back out and
try to finish it,”
Hudson said.

He did, and in doing so may have proven, without a doubt,
that the
Diamondbacks really did get the better end of the deal
that was made nearly one year ago.

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