Rich Hill can be excused for developing a particular affection for the Boston Red Sox. Nine years ago they plucked him from the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, providing Hill a window to squeeze back into the big leagues when it appeared he was washed up at age 35.
It’s Boston to the rescue again, promoting the 44-year-old lanky left-hander Tuesday after he made just a single two-inning appearance in triple-A. When he takes the mound, he’ll be the only active player to have appeared in the majors in each of the last 20 seasons.
Hill got a late start this year because he decided to coach his son Brice’s Milton, Mass., Little League team. At his age, Hill was OK with dictating the terms of his return to pitching.
“It’s great [to be back],” Hill said. “We had a great summer. And I was just staying ready and just taking the opportunity. And putting in the work and the time and the effort throughout the entire summer has obviously come to this point where we’re at today.”
Hill was born in Boston, and this marks his fourth stint with the Red Sox. Most memorable was the four-start springboard they gave him late in the 2015 season, when he responded with a 1.55 earned-run average, and a year later was entrenched with the Dodgers, who signed him to a three-year, $48-million contract that Hill fulfilled with aplomb.
Talk about a pivotal moment. Hill has earned $75.5 million in a professional career that began in 2002, and $72 million of it came after 2015, when he ditched a sidearm delivery and began throwing his devastating curveball more often.
Hill once pointed out to his agent that Hall of Fame left-hander Warren Spahn accumulated 180 wins after age 35, winning at least 20 games in six of seven seasons from age 36 to 42, but that was a different era. Wins are tougher to come by for a starter, and Hill has bounced from rotations to bullpens and back.
He’s made 248 starts among 382 appearances for 13 different teams — the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres and Angels in addition to the Dodgers and Red Sox.
His eyeblink with the Angels in 2014 qualifies as a nadir. Hill made two appearances — one in each game of a July 1 doubleheader — and retired none of the four batters he faced, one of whom scored, tagging him with an ERA of infinity. Hill opted for free agency when the Angels tried to send him to triple-A, and he finished the season as a lefty relief specialist with the Yankees, logging only 5 1/3 innings in 14 appearances.
Earlier in 2014, Hill and his wife, Caitlin, endured a tragedy when their son, Brooks, died two months after being born with a rare brain disorder and malfunctioning kidneys.
By June 2015, Hill was unemployed. Then came the Red Sox. Then came the Dodgers. Then came stints with the Twins, Rays, Mets, Pirates and Padres.
Enter the Red Sox again, and a chance for Hill to become one of the oldest MLB pitchers since World War II. The list of those who pitched at age 45 and older is star-studded — it includes six Hall of Famers — and Hill’s career numbers pale in comparison to most: a record of 90-73 with a 4.01 ERA.
He’s spent long stints on the injured list and been repeatedly tossed to the scrap heap, so he recognizes that resilience is his most enduring quality. Or so he told the Middlesex County, Mass., Chamber of Commerce in 2017 when accepting an award as Role Model of the Year.
“In a way, I’m a role model for failure,” Hill said. “My first suggestion is to go out and fail — but fail at something you have passion for. I’m standing here today because I’ve failed more often than I’ve succeeded.
“Without struggle, there is no progress. Without failure there is no progress.”
Oldest MLB pitchers since World War II
59: Satchel Paige
49: Hoyt Wilhelm, Jamie Moyer
48: Phil Niekro
46: Nolan Ryan, Charlie Hough, Jesse Orosco, Randy Johnson, Tommy John
45: Bartolo Colon, Tim Wakefield, Roger Clemens, Gaylord Perry