Daniel Hudson

BIOGRAPHY

Daniel Claiborne Hudson was born on March 9, 1987, in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is a pitcher in the MLB.

Hudson attended Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he finished second all-time in strikeouts with 295 (Justin Verlander is first all-time), sixth in games started with 40 and seventh in innings pitched with 292. He posted a win–loss record of 20–14, and had a 3.79 earned run average.

Hudson was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. For the remainder of the 2008 season he was assigned to the White Sox rookie-level affiliate, the Great Falls Voyagers, where he posted a W–L record of 5–4 and an ERA of 3.36 in 14 starts. He struck out 90 batters in 69 2/3 innings.

He began the 2009 minor league season at Low-A level, with the Kannapolis Intimidators. After posting a 1.23 ERA in four starts, Hudson was promoted to the Winston-Salem Dash, the Sox Advanced-A team. After 8 starts and a 3.40 ERA in Winston-Salem, Hudson was once again on the move up, this time to the Double-A Birmingham Barons. Hudson's rapid rise through the White Sox minor league system continued in Birmingham, where he posted a record of 7–0, with a minuscule 1.60 ERA. After nine starts at Double-A level, Hudson was promoted to Triple-A. With the Charlotte Knights Hudson went 2–0 with an ERA of 3.00 in five starts.

He was called up to the majors for the first time on September 3, 2009, after posting a 14–5 record and a 2.32 ERA, and striking out 166 in 147 1/3 innings at four minor league levels. In his Major League debut on September 4, 2009 he pitched two innings of scoreless relief. Hudson made three appearances out of the White Sox bullpen before taking over Gavin Floyd's spot in the rotation for the remainder of the 2009 season, after Floyd sustained a hip injury. He received his first win in his second start on September 27, 2009, allowing two earned runs over six innings at U.S. Cellular Field vs. the Detroit Tigers. That victory completed the rare accomplishment, and perhaps unique in baseball history, of recording wins in five different levels of professional baseball, including the majors, in one season.

After starting the 2010 season in the minors, Hudson was called up on July 11, 2010 to replace Jake Peavy, who was out for the season with a torn right latissimus dorsi muscle.

On July 30, 2010, Hudson and minor league pitcher David Holmberg were traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Edwin Jackson. He was 7–1 with a 1.69 ERA with the Diamondbacks that season. Hudson finished the 2011 season 16–12, with a 3.49 ERA and 169 strikeouts over 222.0 innings pitched. He also hit .277/.309/.369 and had 14 RBI and 1 home run as a batter. He helped lead the team to an NL West division title and won the 2011 pitching Silver Slugger as the best batter at his position. On July 9, 2012, Hudson underwent Tommy John surgery which eliminated him for the remainder of the 2012 season. Hudson began the 2013 season on the 60-day disabled list still recovering from the Tommy John surgery he previously had. In a rehab start with the Double-A Mobile BayBears on June 4, 2013, Hudson re-tore his ulnar collateral ligament. Hudson underwent Tommy John surgery for the second time of his career on June 18, 2013, which shut him down for the entire 2013 season. On December 13, 2013, Hudson signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks. Nearly 2 years after surgery, Hudson returned as a reliever late into the 2014 season. He pitched in 3 games, totaling 2.2 innings.

On December 21, 2016, Hudson signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the 2017 season, Hudson appeared in 71 games for the Pirates, compiling a 2-7 record and a 4.38 ERA. On February 22, 2018, the Pirates traded Hudson, Tristan Gray, and cash considerations to the Tampa Bay Rays for Corey Dickerson. However, the Rays released him on March 28.  Then on April 2, 2018, Hudson signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made the Dodgers major league roster and pitched in 40 games for them (with one start) and was 3–2 with a 4.11 ERA in 46 innings, before missing the last month of the season with an arm injury. On February 9, 2019, Hudson signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels. He was released on March 22, and signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on March 25.

On July 31, 2019, Hudson was traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Kyle Johnston. Hudson was on the mound when the Nationals won the 2019 World Series, he pitched the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7, closing out a 6-2 victory as the Nationals defeated the Houston Astros.

Hudson shifted to a setup role in the bullpen after the Nationals signed Brad Hand during the 2020-2021 offseason. During the 2021 season, he recorded a 2.20 ERA and 14 holds in 32+2⁄3 innings. Hudson made his final appearance for the Nationals on July 26, 2021, before being placed on the COVID-19 injured list on July 29, 2021.

On July 30, 2021, Hudson was traded to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Mason Thompson and Jordy Barley. Hudson was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list on August 11, 2021, and made his debut for the Padres later that day. Following the completion of a suspended game against the Padres and Atlanta Braves on September 24, 2021, Hudson and Adam Duvall became the first players in Major League Baseball history to have played in two games for four different teams on the same day. Hudson and Duvall were members of the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins, respectively, when the teams faced each other on July 21, 2021. The Braves–Padres game on that same day had been suspended, and by the time it resumed on September 24, 2021, Hudson had joined the Padres, and Duvall was a Brave.

On November 30, 2021, Hudson signed a one-year contract to return to the Dodgers. He pitched in 25 games, with a 2–3 record, 2.22 ERA and five saves. In a game on June 24 against the Atlanta Braves, Hudson tore his Anterior cruciate ligament, leading to season ending surgery. Despite this, the Dodgers chose to exercise a $6.5 million club option on Hudson for the 2023 season and also gained an extra option for the 2024 season.