Rich Hill Ties MLB Record Pitching For 14th Team At Age 45

Rich Hill took the mound for the Kansas City Royals last night. Yes, that Rich Hill. The Rich Hill who was selected in the 36^th round of last draft of last century. The Milton, Massachusetts native who has played for the Boston Red Sox on no less than four different occasions (but signed with them five times). The lefty who, after his career took a downturn in 2015, elected to play indie ball for the Long Island Ducks.

Hill’s first four big league seasons were on the North Side of Chicago, where he pitched reasonably well for the Cubs (18-17, 4.37 ERA, 4.57 FIP, 106 ERA+). He was then traded to the Baltimore Orioles, where he pitched one injury-marred season. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals for 2010, but opted out of his deal at the end of June to sign (for the first time) with the Red Sox.

After 2½ years in Boston, Hill signed with Cleveland, where he pitched one mediocre season. He then signed a minor league deal with Boston (Take #2), but never pitched with the big club before being traded to the Angels in July. He pitched in both ends of a doubleheader for the Halos, facing four batters, giving up a hit, walking three, and adding a wild pitch for good measure. He was released within the week.

Hill then signed with the New York Yankees, where he lasted a touch longer – just over three weeks – before being designated for assignment. But the Yankees brought him back when rosters expanded in September, and he pitched in eight games, giving up only one earned run, striking out seven against a single walk.

Prior to the 2015 season, Hill signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. When he did not make the major league team by June, he opted out of his contract. And that is when he decided to retreat and regroup. After looking for work for a month (no takers), Hill elected to sign with the Atlantic League Long Island Ducks. He pitched two great games for the New York-based team, whereupon the Red Sox brought him back for a third time.

Hill made five minor league starts in Pawtucket before the Red Sox had him come north to Boston. He started four games, going 2-1 with a 1.55 ERA, while striking out 36 strikeouts and walking only five.

The next year (2016) he signed with the (then) Oakland Athletics and started Opening Day. In all, he made 20 starts for the A’s, compiled a 12-5 record, had a 2.12 ERA, and struck out four times as many batters as he walked. On August 1^st, Hill was traded (along with Josh Reddick) to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He started six regular season games for Los Angeles, going 3-2 with a 1.83 ERA. He also made three post-season appearances, including Game 2 of the NLCS that the Dodgers ultimately lost to the eventual World Series champion Cubs.

Five weeks after the World Series, the Dodgers signed Hill to a three-year, $48 million contract. After all that career turmoil, this was Hill’s first multi-year deal. In his first full season with the Dodgers, Hill made twice as much money as he had in his entire career to that point.

When Hill’s contract with the Dodgers expired, he signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins for the Covid-shortened 2020 season. In 2021, he signed another one-year deal – this time with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays traded Hill to the Mets at the deadline, and he made 12 starts for his third New York team (Yankees, Mets, and Ducks!). When that season ended, Hill went home again, signing with the Red Sox for the fourth time.

After another year in Boston, Hill signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates for 2023. True to form, the Pirates dumped Hill’s (massive?) contract, trading him to the San Diego Padres at the deadline. San Diego waived him by mid-September.

Hill then decided to take off the first half of 2024. Instead of pitching in the big leagues, he elected to coach his son Brice’s 12-year-old Little League team in his hometown of Milton. Hill had three major league offers in the off-season, but decided his son’s final year of rec-league ball was more important than playing professional baseball. (Rich and his wife, Caitlin, lost a second son, Brooks, to lissencephaly and congenital nephrotic syndrome, when he was just two months old.)

On August 18^th of last year, Hill signed with the BoSox for the fifth time, making four appearances and throwing 3-2/3 innings. He was released on September 9^th.

In May, Hill signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals, and has been playing for their Triple-A affiliate in Omaha. His deal, like the one he signed with Washington ten years earlier, gave him the right to opt out if he was not on the big league roster by June 15^th. When he was 35 years old, he exercised that right; now, at age 45, he stuck with the club. And his perspicacity was rewarded on Tuesday night. In a full-circle moment, Hill took the mound at Wrigley Field, the site of his first major league appearance, a mere 20 years ago. He threw 90 pitches over five strong innings, ceding six hits and only one earned run. Unfortunately, Hill took the loss for the Royals. There is no word yet on when (or if) his next start will be.

By pitching with the Royals, Hill tied the MLB record (with Edwin Jackson) by playing for his 14^th franchise. He became just the 18^th pitcher start a game at age 45 or older (Jamie Moyer last did it back in 2012). To put all this in perspective, Hill made that first appearance at Wrigley Field in a game that Greg Maddux started. Maddux was inducted into the Hall of Fame eleven years ago.

But looking back to 2005 is so 21^st century. Christopher Kamka of Marquee Sports Network decided to give Hill’s career even more (19^th century) historical context: