Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson, a veteran of parts of 15 big-league seasons, announced his retirement early Thursday morning, just about an hour after Los Angeles defeated the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the World Series.
"This was the only reason I came back -- to go out on top," Hudson told reporters, including the Orange County Register. "And that's what's happening."
Hudson, 37, did not appear in Game 5 despite warming up. Had he closed out the contest, he would've become the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history to finish off two World Series for two different teams. (He was responsible for ending the Washington Nationals' 2019 World Series run against the Houston Astros.)
Nevertheless, Hudson walks away having compiled a 3.74 ERA (111 ERA+) and a 2.95 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 547 career big-league appearances. He's a former Silver Slugger Award winner whose contributions were estimated to have been worth 7.7 Wins Above Replacement for his career, according to Baseball Reference's calculations.
Hudson served multiple stints with the Dodgers. He also spent time with the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, and San Diego Padres.