Rich Hill makes MLB history in his 249th career start

Photo Credit: Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

On Tuesday, July 22, Rich Hill, 45, became the oldest player to appear in a Major League Baseball game since Jamie Moyer, 49, in May 2012. Making his season debut for the Kansas City Royals Tuesday night, Hill has now pitched in 21 consecutive Major League seasons.

Hill pitched five innings against the Chicago Cubs at the historic Wrigley Field, allowing six hits and just one earned run. He notched one strikeout on the night, getting Cubs slugger Kyle Tucker looking in the first inning. This was Hill’s first start since September 4, 2023, after making four relief appearances last year for the Boston Red Sox. Hill would give up two unearned runs thanks to costly errors in the second inning and got no help from his offense in a 6-0 shutout loss.

“I’m absolutely grateful for the opportunity to be able to put on a uniform again,” said Rich Hill. “I’m just happy that it worked out.”

“He battled his butt off out there,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro. “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.”

The 45-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Royals in May. He made 11 starts for Triple-A Omaha before receiving the call to the majors prior to Tuesday’s game. The Royals were the 14th team Hill has appeared in a game for, tying an MLB record set by pitcher Edwin Jackson. He also became the oldest player to appear in a game for the Royals.

Since 2005, Hill has pitched for the Cubs (‘05-’08), Baltimore Orioles (‘09), Red Sox (‘10-‘12, ‘15, ‘22, ‘24), Cleveland Guardians (‘13), Los Angeles Angels (‘14), New York Yankees (‘14), A’s (‘16), Los Angeles Dodgers (‘16-’19), Minnesota Twins (‘20), Tampa Bay Rays (‘21), New York Mets (‘21), Pittsburgh Pirates (‘23), San Diego Padres (‘23), and Royals (‘25). The Red Sox are the only team Hill has had more than one stint with. He spent four consecutive seasons with the Cubs (‘05-’08) and Dodgers (‘16-’19), the longest amount of time he has spent with any major league team.

Fitting for such a historic career, Hill made his MLB debut with the Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 15, 2005, the same place he would make the first start of his 21st season and tie an MLB record.

“When the post came out and it said it’s his twenty-first season, I was like ‘dang dude, I was one year old when he first started,’” said Royals rookie Jac Caglianone. “I was a year old when he busted onto the scene, so it’s weird. I got to play with him in Omaha and talked to him a good bit. It’s awesome that he is playing still, and being able to do it at the MLB level, it’s really cool to see; it’s really cool to be a part of. I’m thankful to be his teammate.”

“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 was involved in more history on Tuesday night. According to Royals broadcaster Joel Goldberg, the matchup between Hill and Cubs first baseman Justin Turner was the first pitcher-hitter matchup between two 40-plus-year-olds in the majors since 1988. Hill got the better of Turner both times they faced each other.

The Boston, Massachusetts, native was drafted on three separate occasions. Out of high school, Hill was drafted in the 36th round by the Cincinnati Reds in 1999. This was before his new teammate and Royals two-time All-Star shortstop, Bobby Witt Jr., was born. Hill decided to forgo signing with the Reds, opting to play college baseball at the University of Michigan. In 2001, he was selected in the seventh round by the Angels, once again declining to sign and returning to Michigan. Finally, in 2002, Hill was drafted in the fourth round by the Cubs, signing his first professional contract. He would make his debut three years later.

After struggling as a starter in his first five big league seasons, Hill transitioned to a relief pitcher. He spent the early parts of the 2010s in the bullpen, but, in 2015, moved back to the starting rotation with his hometown Red Sox. A year later, he had one of the best seasons of his career. Split between time with the A’s and Dodgers, Hill made 20 starts, finishing 12-5 with a 2.12 earned run average, including a 1.83 ERA in six starts for the Dodgers at the back end of the 2016 season.

As a starting pitcher, from 2015 through 2021, Hill posted three seasons with 150-plus strikeouts, never had an ERA over 3.86, and appeared in the World Series twice. Hill pitched in the MLB Playoffs five times, once in 2007 with the Cubs and four consecutive times with the Dodgers from 2016 through 2019. During his time with the Dodgers, Hill pitched in two World Series (2017, 2018). As a starter during the 2017 run, Hill started four games and had a 2.55 ERA. He was even better the following year, posting a 2.16 ERA in three starts. Hill allowed just three earned runs in 15 innings pitched during back-to-back World Series, receiving a no decision each time. Despite his playoff and World Series performances, the Dodgers came home on the losing end each year.

Hill remained a starter in 2022 with the Red Sox and in 2023 with the Pirates and Padres, but his production had declined from his mid-to-late-2010s dominance. Over his last two seasons, he has appeared in five games with one start, which came on Tuesday night.

Hill doesn’t seem like he will be slowing down anytime soon. The 45-year-old still has his love for the game and talent to have a positive impact on a roster moving forward.

“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.”