End Of The Line: Tim Hudson

End Of The Line is an occasional offseason series that will take a closer look at the career of DMBL players leaving the league after the 2016 season. Today, we look back at longtime Carolina Mudcat, Tim Hudson.

Milestone night for Oswalt

Roy Oswalt, the longtime Honolulu Shark who has bounced around four different teams in the last five seasons, last night became the 16th pitcher in league history to make 300 starts, while becoming the 13th hurler to reach 2,000 innings pitched. It was quite the milestone game as Oswalt fell to 2-5 on the season, matching Tim Hudson for 10th all-time in losses, with 112. He also sits just 12 strikeouts from 1,500, a mark only 14 pitchers have reached.

Oswalt reached the milestone in the uniform of the Las Vegas Rat Pack, who selected him in the 4th round of this year's draft, after spending the last two seasons in Vancouver. He won a career-high 17 games last year for the Iron Fist but spent his first six seasons in Honolulu, where he was the workhorse of the staff, going 75-74 in 194 starts but averaging 32 starts and 221 innings per year. He also spent a season each with Tampa (2008) and Amityville (2009).

The Mississippi native is now tied with Kevin Appier, who sits at 15th all-time with an even 300 starts. Oswalt is likely to pass Al Leiter, up next at 308, and if he can stay healthy enough to make 26 starts this year, he'd pass David Wells at 315 and move into 13th all-time. Could Oswalt be putting together a potential Hall of Fame career?

Oswalt very nearly had a complete game, which would have been his 43rd, matching David Cone for 11th all-time. He was lifted after 8 2/3, plunking pinch-hitter Ian Desmond before making way for Fernando Rodney who promptly gave up the game-winning double to Justin Smoak in the 5-4 loss.

Jeter Becomes All-Time Hits Leader

Derek Jeter wasted no time Saturday night in becoming the DMBL's all-time hits leader. Making it a Passover weekend to remember for the Marietta faithful, Jeter singled to left his first time at the plate, off Tim Hudson in the third inning. He eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead, but the Mighty Men eventually fell at home to the Rowdy Roddy Pipers, 5-3 in 10 innings.

Jeter now has 2,576 hits, one better than Barry Bonds, who a few years ago had passed Roberto Alomar at 2,207 hits for the all-time mark.

Jeter Matches Bonds For All-Time Hits Mark

Longtime Marietta shortstop Derek Jeter tied Barry Bonds for the all-time DMBL lead in career hits, with 2,575. The record-tying hit came Friday night in the seventh inning on a groundball between first and second off Rowdy Roddy's Pipers rookie Guillermo Moscoso. Jeter came around to score what would be the winning run on a sac fly to give the Mighty Men a 6-5 decision at Home Depot Stadium.

The Captain will look to own the record today at home against the Roddy Pipers and scheduled starter Tim Hudson.

Jeter started 2012 campaign with 2,566 hits but certainly is no lock to keep the all-time hits record. He has company from a number of other active players who began the year within striking distance:
* Rowdy's Vlad Guerrero (4th/2,543)
* Newark's Chipper Jones (5th/2,537)
* Alex Rodriguez of Las Vegas (6th/2,436)

There's also Manny Ramirez, who began this season 3rd all-time with 2,545 hits (and just two HRs from 500), is sitting out the year but plans a comeback in 2013 DMBL; Jones and Guerrero already have pushed him to 5th all-time in hits since the season started.

Whether a DMBL player will stick around long enough to reach 3,000 hits remains to be seen, but it would seem the Magic 8 Ball would say, "Not likely." Chipper already has announced that he will retire after next season, so he would need about 225 hits this season and next. Meanwhile, a sizzling start in his first dozen games (18 hits in his first 42 at-bats) has moved Vlad within 14 hits of Bonds and Jeter through Friday night's games.

Ramirezes passed over, but Prince rises again

It was a good week to be a Ramirez this week. Newark's Manny Ramirez had an outstanding week for the Sugar Bears, smacking 5 dingers to go with his .429 average and 13 RBIs and 9 runs. He might just have something to do with that 8-game winning streak the Sugar Bears have. Hoboken's Hanley Ramirez may have had an even better week - Hanley hit .520 with a .625 OBP and .960 slugging. He also scored 7 runs and hit 3 doubles and 2 homers. Those were both impressive lines, but we had to give this week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week honors to Blue Ridge's Prince Fielder. Fielder also hit 5 home runs this week, but batted .469 with a .541 on base percentage. He drove in 11 runs and scored 7. The other top candidate for hitting this week was Marietta's Josh Hamilton (.440/.548/.920, 4 HRs, 12 RBIs).

Other top batters this week: Marietta's Adrian Gonzalez (.435/.552/.826 10 R), Vancouver's Ryan Spilborghs (.480/.533/.560), Hillsborough's Carlos Delgado (.355/.364/.774, 4 HR, 8 RBI), Las Vegas' Joe Mauer (.476/.571/.714) and Arkansas' Ryan Ludwick (.417/.440/1.000 4 HR, 7 RBI).

This week's Omodern Pitcher of the Week prize goes to Tim Hudson of Carolina. Besides Monday's historic victory, Hudson had a very good week, going 1-0 witha 1.15 ERA and .083 WHIP. He ptiched in 15.2 innings and struckout 10. Hudson's main competition came from Hillsborough's Felix Hernandez, who's enjoying a great season. Felix went 2-0 to raise his season record to 5-1, with a 1.29 ERA and 0.93 WHIP this week. He also struck out 14 batters in 14 innings.

Old Man Rivera keeps moving along - the future Hall of Famer saved three games and picked up a victory by pitching 5.1 perfect innings and striking out 7 for the Mighty Men.

Other top pitchers: Newark's Chien-Ming Wang (2-0, 2.25, 0.56 WHIP) and Gil Meche (2-0, 2.84, 15 K), Philadelphia's Brandon Webb (2-0, 1.23), Marietta's Mike Mussina (2-0, 2.87, 1.09 WHIP), and Hoboken's Craig Breslow (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.19 WHIP in 5.1 IP).

Carolina, Hudson, move up

Tim Hudson pitched 7.2 shutout innings en route to a 5-0 win over the O-Bombers. The win, Hudson's 102nd in his career, moved him past Brad Radke to 14th overall. Hudson held D.C. to only 4 hits and 4 walks, while striking out 5. Carolina now owns the longest winning streak in the league at 4 games.

A.J. Burnett outduelled Zack Greinke to take a 3-2 decision against Vancouver yesterday. The showdown of the two division leaders was decided by a 2-run Matt Holliday homer in the third inning. Vancouver made it interesting when pinch hitter Jeff Clement hit a home run in his DMBL debut to make it a one-run game, but Chase Utley struck out with 2 runners on base to end the game. Las Vegas won the game despite being outhit 9-5 in the game. Last season's One-run Wonders are now 4-1 in one-run games.

Hillsborough dropped their third straight, a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Gavin Floyd and the Blue Ridge Bombers. Michael Young was 4-5 and Nate McLouth and Prince Fielder were each 3-5 to lead the Bomber offense. Floyd went the distance, holding the Hitmen to 8 hits and striking out 7. Hillsborough remains only one game out of first, but fell to third place in the Morris Division, lept over by Carolina.