Auburn baseball alumni and reigning World Series champion Tim Hudson bid adieu to a 17-year Major League Baseball career in front of the home fans of AT&T park.
The 40-year-old right-hander said his farewell across the bay from Oakland where he began his career in 1999. The four-time all-star circulated to just three teams in his career, moving from Oakland to Atlanta and finally to San Francisco in 2014.
He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 1999, where he spent six years in the organization until his departure in 2004.
Before the 2005 season, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves, where he remained until 2014, when he signed a two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants.
With the Giants, the starter got his first and only World Series ring, and maintained his record of being the majors' active wins leader with 222 victories. He was also the oldest pitcher to ever start game seven of the World Series, at 39 years and 107 days old.
Hudson is the eighth former Auburn player to appear in the World Series, and the 11th former Tiger to be on a the roster of a participating team. His career reached a total of 46,631 pitches against 13,005 batters, along with a 222-133 record and a 3.49 ERA through 3,126 and 2/3 innings.
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/8878828/v512403883/giants-tim-hudson-retires-receives-ovation
He was the cornerstone of the Glenwood School's baseball program, based out of Phenix City, leading the team to an AISA championship in 1993. From there he went on to spend two years at Chattahoochee Valley Community College, before signing a scholarship with Auburn University.
Hudson was an All-American at Auburn, where he played from 1996-97. He was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and an All-American in 1996 after compiling a 15-2 record and 2.97 ERA. He also hit .396 with 18 home runs and 95 RBI.
The 1996-97 season was enough for Hudson to claim the Plains as home. He returns yearly to host the Hudson Family Foundation Homerun Derby at Plainsman Park.
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