Promoted in June 1999 to replace the ineffective Tom Candiotti, Hudson was showered with beer after his first victory and paced the A’s late-season surge by winning 11 of 13 decisions down the stretch. Drawing comparisons to a young Greg Maddux, the undersized righty turned in a twenty-win season in 2000 using four pitches — a fastball, a splitter, a slider, and a change-up he picked up from pitching coach Rick Peterson in the minors. “The guy making the popcorn could be [his] pitching coach,” said Peterson, awed by to Hudson’s short learning curve.
