Hudson can’t imagine it getting any better

Orlando Hudson said he always used to imagine what it would be like to play in a major market.

He said he imagined the cheers.

He said he imagined the attention.

He said he imagined how “If you sneeze wrong, everything you do is on TV.”

But he said he never imagined this.

Hudson hit for the cycle in the Dodgers’ home opener, an 11-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday, becoming the first Dodger to single, double, triple and homer in the same game since Wes Parker did so on May 7, 1970 in New York against the Mets.

“This kid, when we signed him, we knew he was something special,” Manager Joe Torre said of the 31-year-old better known for his glove work than his bat.

Hudson, who spent his first four seasons in the majors with Toronto and the last three with Arizona before signing with the Dodgers as a free agent this spring, reached base on an infield single in the first inning. He homered in the third to put the Dodgers ahead, 1-0, and doubled in the Dodgers’ six-run rally in the fourth.

Hudson hit a ball down the right-field line in the sixth, stretching a double into a triple with a head-first slide to beat the throw.

Hudson said he knew he would go for the triple when he saw Giants right fielder Randy Winn turn his back -- but said he wasn’t even aware of the cycle.

He claimed that he learned what he had done when he returned to the dugout after scoring a run.

“I was like, ‘Congratulations for what?’ ” Hudson said. “I had no idea what was going on.”

Matt Kemp didn’t believe him.

“He was trying to act like he didn’t know,” Kemp said.

“I’m not sure about that. Everyone in the stadium knew he needed the triple for a cycle.”

Whatever the case, the record crowd at Dodger Stadium -- 57,099 fans, according to the team -- responded with what might have been a record ovation when Hudson’s feat was noted on the video board as he was warming up at second base before the seventh inning.

The fans rose to their feet.

Hudson said that at that moment, he looked into the dugout and tried to lock eyes with Torre.

“I was just looking down at the dugout at Mr. Torre to see if he’d give me a little look, so I could tip my cap,” Hudson said.

“I didn’t want to make it all about me, you know, but I didn’t want the fans to think I was a jerk.”

Torre never gave him the look.

Hudson made a small gesture to the crowd, which grew louder.

“It was great, it was great, man,” Hudson said.

Hudson went to the plate in the bottom half of the inning and, again, the fans rose to their feet.

He struck out, his lone offensive failure on a four-for-five day in which he scored three runs and raised his average to .333.

Hudson said he had played in front of crowds such as this. Kind of.

He recalled games at the SkyDome in Toronto against the New York Yankees that drew large crowds.

“Fifty-four-thousand five-hundred were Yankees fans and 500 were Blue Jays fans,” he said.

But never was a crowd of that size entirely on his side, the way it was Monday.

The chance to play on the big stage was one of the reasons Hudson said he settled for a one-year, $3.38-million deal with the Dodgers.

Told that he raised the expectations for Dodgers fans, Hudson laughed and made one request.

“Please, Dodger fans, don’t expect that from me,” he said. “It’s a hard-enough game as it is.”

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Dodgers who have

hit for the cycle

Orlando Hudson: April 13, 2009

Wes Parker: May 7, 1970

Gil Hodges: June 25, 1949

Jackie Robinson: Aug. 29, 1948

Dixie Walker: Sept. 2, 1944

Babe Herman: July 24, 1931

Babe Herman: May 18, 1931

Jimmy Johnston: May 25, 1922

Tom Burns: Aug. 1, 1890

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Source: mlb.com