American baseball veteran Rich Hill is not ready to hang up his glove just yet.
Now 45 years old, Hill is on a mission to return to Major League Baseball (MLB), the sport’s top tier league in the United States, after recently signing a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals.
Hill is something of a journeyman in baseball terms. He has already played for 13 different teams in the MLB, including a brief stint with the iconic New York Yankees back in 2014, where he put up an impressive 1.69 ERA (earned run average) across 14 games.
If he makes it onto the Royals’ main roster, he will equal Edwin Jackson’s record of playing for 14 different teams, the most in MLB history.
For South Africans who may not follow baseball closely, think of Hill’s journey like a veteran rugby player who has donned the jerseys of half the URC teams and is still chasing one more run in the big leagues.
Currently, Hill is listed on the Royals’ training roster in Arizona, although he is expected to report to their top minor league affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers. According to Royals assistant general manager Scott Sharp, Hill had been training and feeling good. “He wants to continue pitching,” Sharp told MLB.com. “Even if there is no guaranteed path back to the majors, he is up for the challenge.”
Hill’s story is one of resilience. Since making his major league debut in 2005, the left handed pitcher, known for his deceptive curveball, has played at least one game every season for two decades. Across that time, he has accumulated 1,428 strikeouts and a career ERA of 4.01 over 1,409 innings.
Beyond the Yankees, Hill has suited up for the likes of the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and several others, essentially forming a highlight reel of American baseball.
Still chasing the dream after all these years, Rich Hill’s journey is not just about records, it is about a deep love for the game.
And who knows? Maybe one more team is still in the cards.
Photo: Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images
