Major League Baseball News: Tim Hudson, Barry Zito Start For San Francisco Giants, Oakland

No, it was not. With Hudson facing Zito in the pitching matchup, the total now sits at 8.5 runs.

“I’ll be their mortal enemy on Saturday and then I’ll probably be their friend again on Sunday”, Zito said.

Hudson was operating with a lead because Marlon Byrd followed two seeing-eye singles with a two-run double off the right field wall in the first inning. Zito had been in the minors and was called up last week and with the postseason out of reach, the team had no plans to have Zito start the game.

And on a purely sentimental level, it delivered.

For the game in Oakland, the Athletics are sending Barry Zito out as their starting pitcher for the first time this season.

Zito’s first pitch touched 85 miles per hour, while Hudson’s initial offering was clocked at 87 — and how about National Basketball Association champion Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors on his ceremonial first pitch? The Giants’ clubhouse Saturday morning was a sea of “Hudson 17” T-shirts, with most players and coaches honoring the 40-year-old right-hander, who intends to retire after this season.

“They were a good looking group”, Hudson cracked. “To see those two finish their career, it’s going to be a special time for everyone involved and particularly the teammates that have been able to play with them”. Theavalanche of retweets for a simple pitching matchup announcement suggests that people care about it; that it’s happening at all is an affirmation that professional sports franchises can acknowledge greater workings than bottom-line calculations.

Sometimes even the best pitchers are nervous.

“I’m so grateful I get to end everything on a Bay Area note, ” said Zito, who spent his entire career with the Bay Area teams.

The command waned in the sixth when Aaron Brooks was in his third inning of relief.

Bruce Bochy has managed late Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, Mo Vaughn and home run king Barry Bonds and this was the best offensive performance he has seen.

“This series, we wanted to win it for the fans as much as anything”, right fielder Josh Reddick said. “He was just so out of sync”.

Said Hudson: “For me, it’s like a celebration for both of our careers and we played for both teams”. “I put him in a tough spot there”.

“Time flies”, Hudson said. But it’s possible that his troublesome hip locked up on him once he sat down. He threw just five of 26 pitches in the second inning for strikes, but he said he wasn’t dealing with any discomfort out of the ordinary.

Scattered boos came down as Bochy came out to lift Hudson, but they quickly turned to cheers as Hudson left the mound. The left-hander briefly covered his face with his jersey and walked off, tipping his cap before disappearing into the dugout. The 2002 Cy Young Award victor received a similar reception to his counterpart, as Zito exited in front of thousand of screaming fans.

“It was a weird situation”, Hudson said. “Obviously I just came out of the game and didn’t do too well”. The bigger victory comes is in how little it matters who winds up on which side of that line. “Classy moment for the fans here, and something that Zito and I both, I’m sure, will appreciate forever”.

The straw that stirs the Giants’ drink, catcher Buster Posey, has been one of the few to not have the letters D and L next on his name on the roster this season this year. Two years later, it was Hudson making the start in Game 7 as the Giants edged the Kansas City Royals for their third championship in five years.

Hudson finally stepped into the sunshine, pointed toward Zito on the mound, tapped his chest and did a 360-degree wave. Afterward, he sounded conflicted talking to reporters about the experience.

“It was awesome, but it’s definitely hard to enjoy it, ” Zito said of his outing. “It’s something that when I heard it was going to happen it really made me smile, happy for me personally and Barry as well”.