By Morris Phillips

In 2002, when 35-year old John Lackey from Abeline, Texas made his mid-season, major league debut, he just wanted to prove he belonged.  That October, he did more than that, pitching the Anaheim Angels to their first world title as the Game 7 starter–and winner–against the Giants.

That same year, TIm Hudson of the A’s was racking up wins as if he were an 8-year old beating his younger brother at tic-tac-toe.  The now 39-year old would go on to win 15 games in 2002, and the A’s captured the AL West division title over the Angels with 103 wins.

Hudson would go on to hold the highest winning percentage for a starting pitcher with at least 50 wins by starting his career 78-30.  That mark was achieved in the middle of 2003 as the A’s were racing to a second straight division title.

But Hudson and the A’s enjoyed little post-season success.  The pitcher and the team were eliminated in the ALDS all four years they qualified.  Hudson entered 2013 with one post-season win and no post-season series wins in Oakland, where he started his career, or Atlanta where he was traded prior to the 2005 season.

Meanwhile, Lackey continued his playoff success after 2002: The right hander would win seven of his post-season assignments and a second world title as a member of the Red Sox in 2013.

Now, the two competitors with a combined 366 career wins face each other in Tuesday’s Game 3 of the NLCS and despite the differences in won-loss records and titles, Hudson and Lackey remain respectful of each other on the eve of their matchup.

“Nothing but respect for Huddy for sure,” Lackey said.  “Had an outstanding career.  I remember facing him as a young pitcher in Oakland, going against him, and I always respected the way he competed and the way he just went about his business.”

As Lackey described, Hudson has been on top of his game mentally in 2014.  After suffering a horrific, broken ankle that ended his 2013 season, Hudson became a free agent and signed with the Giants. But after a fast start and an All-Star game appearance , Hudson slowed dramatically, at one point, dropping up eight of his nine decisions.  Things weren’t much better in September when Hudson dropped his last four starts, including the 17-0 drubbing by the Dodgers.  But when given the ball in Game 2 against the Nationals, Hudson was fantastic, allowing seven hits and a run in the game the Giants would go on to win, 2-1 in 18 innings.

“It’s great to have Huddy going and have Huddy healthy,” manager Bruce Bochy said.  “He was dealing with that hip for a little while there, and I think it was affecting him even more than he was telling us.”

Lackey, who was acquired from Boston prior to the trade deadline, wasn’t were the Cardinals needed him to be when he arrived in July.  As one of the few bright spots for the Red Sox this year, Lackey won 11 games and made every scheduled start for Boston.  But when he got to St. Louis, the heavy workload appeared to be affecting Lackey.

“He came in and actually was going through kind of a dead arm phase when we got him and was still able to keep himself in the game.  We look up in the seventh inning and we are right there in it,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said.

The Cardinals won five of Lackey’s first six starts, before dropping three of four in September.  But the 6’6″ right hander was back on his game in Game 3 against the Dodgers in the NLDS.  Lackey allowed five hits and a run, picked up the win, and the Cardinals moved within a game of eliminating Los Angeles.

Neither pitcher, despite their resumes, was destined to have this big of a role in the post-season.  Bochy said that Hudson was acquired more for what he could do for the Giants in the regular season in hopes of capturing a post-season berth. If the Giants had a healthy Matt Cain, and an effective Tim Lincecum, Hudson could easily been relegated to a backup role in the team’s playoff rotation.  But he kept working, and in the absence of Cain and Lincecum, Hudson finds himself in the mix with a plan to compensate for the velocity that he’s lost over the years.

“When I first came up, I was a sinker/split guy and an occasional breaking ball,” Hudson recalled.  “Now, there’s been times where I’ve tried to make up pitches before to try to get guys out.  But you know what, it’s just one of those things where you have to throw your ego aside.  You might not have that 94 or 95 in the tank anymore but at this point in my career I feel like I’m a much smarter pitcher and I understand my body and I understand my mechanics much better now than when I was younger.”

Lackey confessed to the same type of creativity as Hudson, once again in deference to age and declining velocity.

“I throw a little bit of everything nowadays,” he said,  “If it feels good, I invent stuff on the mound nowadays.”