Just 15 months ago, Daniel Hudson was finishing up his season at Old Dominion.
On Monday, he pitches the biggest game of the season for the White Sox.
The fifth-round draft choice one year ago in June, Hudson won the job of facing the Twins in a do-or-die week for the Sox because manager Ozzie Guillen likes the way he has pitched in only 5 2/3 innings.
“This is what it’s all about, pitching in September in the middle of a pennant push,” Hudson said.
At four minor-league levels in his first pro season, Hudson compiled a 14-5 record and was 7-0 in his last nine starts.
Hudson was chosen over D.J. Carrasco, who is 5-0 with a 2.69 ERA in 18 appearances against the Twins.
Peavy pumped: Reporting “general soreness” a day after pitching his first big-league game in 3 1/2 months, Jake Peavy will make two more starts — against Central Division-leading Detroit and versus Cleveland.
“Obviously, we haven’t played the way we hoped for the last few weeks, but at the end of the day, we’re fighting the teams in front of us and we have a chance,” he said.
Peavy was part of the 2007 NL West chase with San Diego, which lost a play-in game to the Rockies.
“We had champagne on ice three times in the last week and didn’t get it done,” he said. “This game, I’ve seen some crazy things and I’m certainly not counting it out until the day comes that we’re mathematically eliminated.”
Thursday’s off-day will give Peavy extra rest before starting Friday against the Tigers. But he’s happy he pushed himself to come back.
“There was never a doubt in my mind I was going to be able to let it go this winter,” he said.
“But coming to a new city, new league, new teammates — a lot of these guys have never even seen me pitch — to put that to rest with you [media] guys and my teammates and front office and coaches, that was special.”
Extra innings: Triple-A Charlotte reliever Ehren Wassermann pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in Team USA’s 7-3 victory over Mexico, which clinched a final-round berth in the baseball World Cup. Josh Kroeger hit .267 with two doubles and an RBI in seven games.
