HUDSON 1ST TO 20 WINS
A's 14-Hit Attack Buries Jays

OAKLAND, Aug. 16 (AP) - Tim Hudson tossed seven shutout innings to become the first major league pitcher to amass 20 wins this season and the Oakland Athletics whipped the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-0, at Network Associates Coliseum.  Hudson, widely regarded as holding the inside track on the American League Cy Young Award earned his 20th win in his 27th start; he has lost just three times this season.

The A's gave Hudson an early cushion to work with, scoring four times in the bottom of the first inning.  Terrence Long opened the fame with a single off Toronto starter Mark Hendrickson and advanced to third on Jose Guillen's base hit.  Eric Chavez's double to right-center field scored both runners for a 2-0 Oakland lead.  A Hendrickson wild pitch moved Chavez to third and he made it 3-0 when he trotted home on Miguel Tejada's sacrifice fly to center.  Erubiel Durazo then singled through the box and took third on Ramon Hernandez's base hit to right.  Scott Hatteberg rolled into a fielder's choice, with Hernandez being forced at second, but Durazo scored the inning's fourth run.  Mark Ellis reached on an infield single, but Hendrickson, with action in the bullpen, finally retired the side when Chris Singleton grounded out to short.

The A's added a run in the fourth when Guillen homered to left-center and two more in the fifth on a solo home run off the bat of Hernandez and an RBI single Ellis.  In all, the A's pounded out 14 hits off a quartet of Jays pitchers.

Hudson was never in any serious trouble.  Toronto didn't advance a runner past second base until the seventh when Mike Bordick drew a two-out walk and advanced to third on Kevin Cash's single.  But Hudson ended the uprising by retiring Reed Johnson on a routine ground ball to second.  Ricardo Rincon and Jim Mecir each tossed a perfect inning of relief to mop up.

Hudson's 20th victory puts him three ahead of his nearest pursuer in the American League--Hudson's Oakland teammate, Barry Zito, is second with 17.  Russ Ortiz of Atlanta holds the National League lead with 17 wins.

8/16/2003, Tor03-Oak03, Network Associates Coliseum
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2003 Blue Jays         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     0  4  0     7  2
2003 Athletics         4  0  0  1  2  0  0  0  x     7 14  0     7  0
 
Blue Jays            AB  R  H BI   AVG    Athletics            AB  R  H BI   AVG
Johnson,Re        rf  4  0  1  0  .333    Long              lf  5  1  3  0  .266
Catalanotto       lf  4  0  0  0  .308    Guillen,J         rf  5  2  2  1  .354
Wells,V           cf  4  0  1  0  .323    Chavez,Er         3b  4  1  1  2  .265
Delgado,C         dh  3  0  1  0  .276    Tejada            ss  2  0  0  1  .353
Hinske            3b  4  0  0  0  .251    Durazo            dh  4  1  1  0  .270
Berg              1b  3  0  0  0  .261    Hernandez,Ra      c   4  1  2  1  .268
 Kielty           ph  1  0  0  0  .266    Hatteberg         1b  4  1  2  1  .248
Hudson,O          2b  3  0  0  0  .265    Ellis,M           2b  4  0  2  1  .221
 Myers,G          ph  1  0  0  0  .279    Singleton         cf  3  0  1  0  .256
Bordick           ss  1  0  0  0  .255                         35  7 14  7
Cash              c   3  0  1  0  .100
                     31  0  4  0
 
Blue Jays                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Hendrickson      L 9-8           4.2 10  7  7  2  3  78  48  5.19
Kershner                         1.2  2  0  0  0  1  21  15  4.91
Miller,T                         0.2  1  0  0  0  1  13   7  1.83
Lopez,Aq                         1.0  1  0  0  0  0  20  12  3.25
                                 8.0 14  7  7  2  5 132  82
 
Athletics                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Hudson,T         W 20-3          7.0  4  0  0  3  5 108  63  2.04
Rincon,R                         1.0  0  0  0  0  1  10   6  4.71
Mecir                            1.0  0  0  0  0  1  10   6  1.06
                                 9.0  4  0  0  3  7 128  75
 
Tor: Kielty batted for Berg in the 9th
     Myers,G batted for Hudson,O in the 9th
 
2B-Wells,V(34), Long(19), Chavez,Er(31), Hatteberg(30), Singleton(25).
HR-Guillen,J(33), Hernandez,Ra(17). RBI-Guillen,J(77), Chavez,Er 2(82),
Tejada(105), Hernandez,Ra(61), Hatteberg(48), Ellis,M(34). K-Johnson,Re 2,
Wells,V, Delgado,C, Berg, Hudson,O, Myers,G, Chavez,Er, Durazo 3, Singleton.
BB-Delgado,C, Bordick 2, Tejada, Singleton. SF-Tejada. WP-Hendrickson.
GWRBI: Chavez,Er
Temperature: 57, Sky: clear, Wind: out to center at 18 MPH.
Attendance: 48,152
Game Time: 2:56