CHICAGO -- When Rich Hill took the mound for the Royals on Tuesday, it was the same spot the left-hander made his MLB debut 20 years ago on June 15, 2005, with the Chicago Cubs. After 20 years, Hill is still contributing in the Majors.
The southpaw signed a Minor League deal with the Royals back in May and was called up from Triple-A Omaha prior to Tuesday’s contest to take Michael Lorenzen’s spot in the rotation. Making his first Major League start since Sept. 4, 2023, Hill hung in there against one of the best offenses in baseball in the team’s 6-0 loss against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
He allowed three runs (one earned) with six hits, two walks and one strikeout across five innings. Hill departed the game in the top of the sixth inning with the Royals trailing, 3-0.
“He battled his butt off out there,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “It was tough work early, a lot of pitches, especially the second inning, but I thought he located pretty well. A couple walks in there, but he made a lot of competitive pitches.”
After a scoreless first inning highlighted by a strikeout of All-Star Kyle Tucker, Hill didn’t get much help from his defense in the second inning. Following a leadoff single from Dansby Swanson, both third baseman Nick Loftin and first baseman Salvador Perez had costly errors on back-to-back plays that led to two unearned runs for the 21-year veteran.
Hill managed to bounce back in the next two innings by putting up zeros in both the third and fourth before allowing a double to Pete Crow-Armstrong that scored a run in the fifth. With his pitch count climbing to 90 pitches after those five innings, Quatraro went to the bullpen in the sixth.
“That’s an honor for me,” catcher Freddy Fermin said of catching Hill. “Every year I learn something new, and today I learned about Hill. He’s got great pitches, and he’s really good.”
Tuesday’s start with the Royals marked the 14th different team the veteran has played for in his lengthy career, tying an MLB record set by Edwin Jackson. He also surpassed Gaylord Perry as the oldest player to appear in a game for the Royals.
Hill has played for the Cubs (‘05-’08), Orioles (‘09), Red Sox (‘10-‘12, ‘15, ‘22, ‘24), Guardians (‘13), Angels (‘14), Yankees (‘14), A’s (‘16), Dodgers (‘16-’19), Twins (‘20), Rays (‘21), Mets (‘21), Pirates (‘23), Padres (‘23), and now the Royals (‘25) throughout his career.
“It's easy to say that you love it, but when you know you have more to give, it's tough to walk away,” Hill said. “Going into this season, knowing that I wasn't going to be participating in a Spring Training or getting ready for a Spring Training, working at home, and getting ready, knowing that there was something still in there. I didn’t want to ask, ‘what if.’ That was really the big thing this season, knowing there was something left and knowing that I could contribute to a ballclub.”
Hill spent the last few weeks building up in the Minors and had a 5.22 ERA across 11 starts. He worked hard in those months trying to get back to the Majors. Without a Spring Training, the veteran did everything he could to stay in shape and have his arm ready.
A few months later, Hill made his first Major League start of the season at the age of 45. He's the oldest pitcher to start a game in the Majors since Jamie Moyer did so on May 27, 2012 (49 years, 191 days old).
“Just keep working,” Hill said. “Every day, showing up to the ballpark, knowing what I need to do to prepare myself for the next start, and continue to keep giving my best effort. That’s really been the key every season. Every time I go out there, I’m going to give everything I’ve got.”
The veteran said after Tuesday’s start that he was in contact with a few teams before he signed a Minor League deal with the Royals. However, his relationship with Kansas City pitching performance consultant Dave Wallace played a key role in his free agency decision.
As Hill enters the latter part of his career, he’s just grateful he’s still able to play the game he loves.
“I’m absolutely grateful for the opportunity to be able to put on a uniform again,” he said. “I’m just happy that it worked out.”