Hudson stays on, Zito, Haren off HOF ballot

The A’s had a trio of pitchers eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time in Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Dan Haren, but only Hudson received enough votes to remain on the ballot in 2022. The results of the balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America were announced on MLB Network on Tuesday night.

Hudson received 21 of 401 possible votes (5.2 percent), which keeps him on the ballot, as he reached the threshold of 5 percent needed to be eligible next year. Hudson was one of 17 players who will remain on the ballot in 2021, but no players were elected for the first time since 2013.

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Haren, Zito and Hudson are all part of a rare club of pitchers who won a game against all 30 clubs; only 19 players have accomplished that feat, but Hudson’s overall credentials were viewed more favorably by the voters.

Hudson pitched 17 years in the Majors. His first six seasons came with the A's before he spent nine years in Atlanta and his final two with the Giants. He was a four-time All-Star and finished in the Top 5 in Cy Young Award balloting three times, finishing second to Pedro Martinez in 2000 after going 20-6 with a 4.14 ERA with the A's.

Hudson went 222-133 with a 3.49 ERA and 2,080 strikeouts in 3,126 2/3 innings from 1999 to 2015. His win total is ranked 76th in Major League history; he won more games than such Hall of Famers as Pedro Martinez (219), John Smoltz (213) and Don Drysdale (209).

Hudson finished his career on the Giants, with Zito, and won a World Series with San Francisco in 2014. He had a respectable 3.69 ERA in 75 2/3 postseason innings but went 1-4 in his 14 appearances (13 starts).

Zito, a three-time All-Star and the winner of the 2002 American League Cy Young Award with Oakland, received one vote. Zito, who had one of the best curveballs of his era, pitched 15 years in the Majors, including eight with the A's and seven with the Giants before retiring after the 2015 season. He won 165 games with a 4.04 ERA and 1,885 strikeouts in 2,567 2/3 innings.

Zito also won World Series titles with the Giants in 2010 and '12. He had strong postseason numbers, going 6-3 with a 2.83 ERA in 10 career playoff starts, including a sharp start against the Tigers in Game 1 of the '12 World Series, in which he pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball.

Haren, who spent three seasons with the A's (2005-07), didn’t receive a vote. He was an All-Star for three straight seasons (2007-09) and led the league in starts in '06, '07 and '11. He won 153 games with a 3.75 ERA and 2,013 strikeouts in 2,419 2/3 innings with the Cardinals, A's, D-backs, Angels, Nationals, Dodgers, Marlins and Cubs in 13 seasons from 2003-15.

Haren never won a World Series, but he went 2-0 with a 3.26 ERA in 19 1/3 postseason innings. He made two playoff starts and five relief appearances, including two scoreless showings in relief in the 2004 World Series with St. Louis.

Although no players were elected to the Hall of Fame this year, Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and the late Marvin Miller will be inducted on July 25 in Cooperstown, as last year's event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.