ATLANTA — When Tim Hudson walked off the field following his first career victory, a seven-inning, one-earned run performance against the Dodgers as a rookie in Oakland, the seeds of the description “Vintage Hudson” were sown. Then-Dodgers manager Davey Johnson watched from the visitor’s dugout that June 1999 afternoon.
Five days later, he posted a near-identical stat line against the Detroit Tigers: seven innings, one earned run, five strikeouts. Little did baseball know, but a trend was forming. It still holds true 14 seasons later.
With now-Nationals manager Davey Johnson looking on once more from the visitor’s dugout, Hudson captured his 200th career win in Turner Field Tuesday night in fitting form, allowing just one earned run in seven innings. It was the 122nd time in his career he’d posted those kind of numbers, but this one — marked by milestones and memories — felt different than all the rest. For good reason.
He became just the 113th pitcher all-time to reach the double-century mark for victories, joining Phil Niekro, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz as the only ones to reach it in an Atlanta uniform.
“It’s a great accomplishment for anybody, but honestly I feel like it’s something that’s along the way,” Hudson said of the career milestone. “I hope I can accomplish more in this game. I feel like I can play for a while. I feel like I haven’t really missed a beat from seven, eight, 10 years ago. A little more crafty these days … definitely more pop.”
The “pop” the veteran righty was referring to was his opposite field home run he hit off Nationals’ reliever Zach Duke, one that ricocheted off the glove of outfielder Bryce Harper and over the wall. Yes, he even helped his own cause Tuesday. If there was a better way to write the script, Hudson is still searching for the words.
With the surprising shot, the third home run of his career, he added Hall of Famer Bob Lemon to his list of equals on this particular night under the lights. Only Hudson and Lemon homered in the same game they hit the 200-win mark.
Lemon pulled off the feat back in 1956 with the Cleveland Indians.
Hudson did it with a kid-in-a-candy-shop smile on his face.
“Way back in the day I used to shoot ‘em out that way all the time,” Hudson (3-1) said with a laugh. “But, you know, we’re pitchers. We’re not supposed to hit home runs anywhere. He hit my barrel. I think I might have backspun it a little bit.
"It’s just one of those nights where everything lined up, the stars were aligned and I guess it was meant to be.”
For their part, his teammates were not about to let this attempt — his third such effort to reach the milestone, the first at home — slip away from their go-to vet. The Braves jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings. By the time Hudson sent his ball (barely) skirting over the fence, it was 5-1, soon to be 8-1 in the fifth, and the ballgame was all but over. Still, with a double and a homer already to his name, Hudson jokingly made certain manager Fredi Gonzalez did not take him out until his chance at the cycle was out of reach. What’s one more milestone, after all?
“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced — I know Chipper had some milestones and stuff like that last year — but this is for me one of the most fun ones I could sit back and enjoy,” said Gonzalez, his team owning the best record in the National League. ”He was on his game today. … I’m glad that he did it here at home.”
The anti-classic line is that no win is more important than the last, or the next one. The victory in 1999 did just as much for Hudson’s career total as the 20 in his sophomore campaign or the 8-1 decisive win against the Nationals, the preemptive World Series favorites entering the season, on April 30, 2013.
But that simply was not the case for Hudson on Tuesday, his wife and extended family waiting outside the Braves' clubhouse for joyous support and commemoration. This one meant a little more. He felt it; he knew it. The fans knew it. His teammates, whose Hudson-targeted attack of shaving cream left evidence all over the clubhouse floor following a post-game celebration, obviously knew it.
Tim Hudson has joined a list of greats, Niekro and Maddux and 110 other names that adorn baseball’s pitching record books. He called it all “kinda surreal.” It still looked kinda like “Vintage Hudson” to the rest of us.
And if he has his way, he’ll keep climbing those lists and charts, seven innings and one earned run at a time.
