Rich Hill Returns to the Majors with the Royals, Showing Signs of Rust
In an expected return, Rich Hill, the oldest active player in baseball, made his first appearance in the Major Leagues with the Kansas City Royals. The 45-year-old left-handed pitcher faced the Chicago Cubs in a game that marked his return since September of last year, when he played for the Boston Red Sox. The veteran pitcher allowed three runs and six hits in five innings pitched. His performance included one strikeout and two walks, before being replaced by Jonathan Bowlan in the sixth inning, with the Cubs leading the score 3-0. The second entry turned out to be particularly complicated for Hill, who threw 31 pitches and conceded two unearned runs. The Royals suffered defensive errors that allowed the Cubs to take a 2-0 lead. After a simple play by Dansby Swanson, third baseman Nick Loftin committed an error on a throw by Ian Happ. Although Salvador Perez managed to get Happ out at second, a bad throw by Jonathan India prevented a double play. Matt Shaw drove in a run with an infield single, and Nico Hoerner scored another run via a force out. Pete Crow-Armstrong added the final run against Hill in the fifth inning, with a double over right fielder Jac Caglianone. The Cubs also stole four bases against Hill, including a double steal by Turner and Shaw in the second inning. Hill was called up from Triple-A Omaha before the game. The Royals sent Andrew Hoffman to Omaha and designated Tyler Gentry for assignment. The game at Wrigley Field marked the start of Hill’s 21st season in the majors and his debut with Kansas City, being his 14th team in MLB. Hill became the oldest player to start a Major League game since May 27, 2012, when Jamie Moyer pitched his last game with Colorado at age 49.At 45 years and 133 days old, Hill became the oldest player in Royals history, surpassing Gaylord Perry. Hill, a native of Boston, began his career with the Cubs, debuting in the majors on June 15, 2005. In his time with Omaha, Hill had a 4-4 record with an ERA of 5.36 in nine starts. In the previous season, Hill played four games with the Red Sox. During his four years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Hill made 11 postseason starts, including two World Series starts in 2017 and another in 2018. In this last regular season, he had an 11-5 record. In his MLB career, Hill has a 90-74 record with an ERA of 4.01 in 368 games.“Well, it speaks to his determination, right? He’s played this game forever and clearly he’s not doing it for money or to be a Major League player. He’s doing it because he loves it and because he can still be good at it.”
Matt Quatraro, Royals manager
