Luke Hudson

Infobox MLB player


width = 150
name=Luke Hudson

position=Relief Pitcher
team=Kansas City Royals
number=34
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1977|5|2
debutdate=July 1
debutyear=2002
debutteam=Cincinnati Reds
statyear=2007
stat1label=Wins
stat1value=17
stat2label=Strikeouts
stat2value=162
stat3label=Earned run average
stat3value=5.11
teams=
*Cincinnati Reds (by|2002, by|2004-by|2005)
*Kansas City Royals (by|2006-present)

Luke Stephen Hudson (born May 2, 1977, in Fountain Valley, California) is a Major League Baseball pitcher with the Kansas City Royals. He is an alumnus of the University of Tennessee.

Drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 4th round of the 1998 MLB amateur draft, Hudson would make his Major League Baseball debut with the Cincinnati Reds on July 1, 2002. He did not pitch in the Majors in 2003, but he made it back with the Reds in 2004, when he had a brief but successful stint in which he had a 4-2 record and a 2.42 ERA in nine starts. In 2005 he struggled, going 6-9 with a 6.38 ERA. He was released by the Reds on March 9, 2006 before being acquired by the Kansas City Royals on March 13.

Hudson began the 2006 season pitching for the Royals as a reliever. However, he struggled, going 1-3 with a 7.24 ERA while allowing 11 ER over 13 2/3 IP. He was converted to a starter, and he did well initially, going 4-0 with a 3.68 ERA in his first six starts. However, on August 13, in his seventh start with the team, Hudson had easily the worst start of his career, surrendering 11 runs, 10 of them earned, over just 1/3 of an inning against the Cleveland Indians. The Indians scored seven runs before making an out, one shy of the major league record of eight, and they scored the eighth through eleventh runs when Hudson gave up a grand slam to Travis Hafner, Hafner's Major League record-tying sixth grand slam of the season.

After the rough outing against Cleveland, Hudson finished the 2006 season by going 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA over his last eight starts.

In 2007, Hudson remained with the Royals, but was hampered by injuries, including two separate trips to the 15-day disabled list. He had only one appearance, giving up five runs in two innings on May 10 in a 17-3 loss to the Oakland A's. He underwent right shoulder surgery in June, ending his season.

Due to a slow recovery from the surgery, Hudson again began the 2008 season on the disabled list.

Hudson's father Bill, a very talented Watercolorist, owns an art materials company in California; Luke works as director of marketing in the offseason. Luke's brother Will operates the business and can be seen playing softball with brother Brian, and sisters Kim, Liz and Sara on the team "Forfeit Please" in Fountain Valley.

External links

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hudsolu01.shtml Page at "Baseball Reference"]
* [http://www.wetpaintart.com/Newsletter_Archive/Make_Your_Mark_07/MYM0702.html Newsletter article detailing the Hudsons, Watermen Artetyeryeryerty and one of their products]