'Big Three' honored before A's final home game
Mulder joins Zito and Hudson for ceremonial first pitches
OAKLAND -- Nostalgia took over the Oakland Coliseum this weekend as the A's and Giants wrapped up the 2015 Bay Bridge Series. A day after Barry Zito and Tim Hudson squared off in a battle of old A's teammates, the two pitchers were joined Sunday by Mark Mulder, who helped form the famed "Big Three" in Oakland's rotation during the early 2000s.
Before the home finale against the Giants, the A's held a pregame ceremony to honor the trio of starting pitchers. After a video tribute, Zito, Hudson and Mulder threw simultaneous first pitches to wrap up the weekend's festivities.
"It's an amazing weekend and it was fun to be a part of, especially for those guys," Mulder said. "Like I've said, they've essentially had double the career that I had. It's amazing to see those ovations they got yesterday and it was well-deserved."
While Mulder has settled in as a baseball analyst for ESPN since his career ended in 2008, Zito and Hudson are nearing the end of their playing careers. Mulder said he enjoyed getting back on the diamond in Oakland and hearing the roar of the A's fans once again.
"It's awesome," Mulder said. "They never lacked passion. The Oakland fans never lacked it, so it was a nice day. I don't get back here much, so this was fun."
• A's manager Bob Melvin said the team would wait until Monday to determine if ace Sonny Gray will make one more start this season. Gray was removed from Friday's contest with left hip tightness after tossing six innings against the Giants.
"I think it's a long shot," Melvin said. "But again, we're going to give him one more day."
• Right-handed reliever Ryan Dull (4.05 ERA in 10 appearances) has made quite an impression on Melvin since receiving his September callup. Despite giving up four runs in two-thirds of an inning Saturday, Melvin said Dull's prospects for making the 2016 A's squad are solid.
"I've seen enough, at this point, from Ryan Dull to know what he's all about," Melvin said. "He'll continue to pitch, obviously, for the rest of the season. But we've seen enough to know that we feel like he'll be a significant factor for us next year."