Dodgers News: Daniel Hudson Says First Save In Over A Year Is ‘Special’
Sports can have a way to test you. But they can also bring joy and excitement as well. This sentiment rings especially true for Dodgers veteran reliever Daniel Hudson who just made his return to the mound recently after battling back from a torn ACL. He made his season debut on June 30 against the Kansas City Royals and even he knows that it was a grind to get back.
Hudson is 36 years old so coming back from such a devastating injury like that isn’t easy. He worked and worked to rehab it and now is seeing the results of his dedication. He just earned his first save in over a year as the Dodgers took down the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night and it meant something special to him. Hudson is just thankful to be back doing what he loves but couldn’t hold back the emotions from the game.
“I would like to have it been a little easier than that. But, hey, we got a W,” said Hudson, who choked up when talking about his latest long recovery (he has twice come back from Tommy John surgery). “It was fun. Kind of like how I remembered it. It’s a pretty special feeling walking through those gates.”
Per The OC Register
Getting Hudson back has been great for this Dodgers bullpen. In his three appearances, he has only allowed two hits and no runs while striking out five. With all the struggles that the LA pen has seen, getting one of their more relied upon guys back is huge.
“It’s up there, for sure,” Hudson said of the emotions coming back from this injury compared to others. “The knee rehab for whatever reason was a little more frustrating than the elbow stuff. Obviously blowing out back to back – the second rehab was pretty straightforward and pretty easy. I didn’t have any setbacks.”
Prior to his injury last season, Hudson was one of the best relievers in baseball. He posted an ERA of 2.22 and was in the groove. Hudson seems to have uplifted this bullpen slightly as the team has started to pitch much better of late. Surely seeing him find success after working so hard to get back has to be an awesome experience for his teammates.
Hudson will continue to be a staple for this Dodgers bullpen assuming he can stay healthy. He is one of manager Dave Roberts’s most trusted guys out there and he likely will see plenty of opportunities as the season goes on.
LA continues their series against the Pirates tonight before welcoming in Shohei Ohtani and the Angels for a brief two-game series before the All-Star break.
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