Veteran lefty Rich Hill did something no one else did with his relief appearance in the Boston Red Sox’s 0-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Hill became the only player to play in at least one game in each of the past 20 MLB seasons.
Hill, who turned 44 in March, also became the oldest player to appear in an MLB game since Seattle Mariners’ legend Ichiro Suzuki, who was 45 when he played his last game in 2019.
Hill almost didn’t get the chance to make history. After being waived by the San Diego Padres last season, he lingered quite a bit on the open market before signing a minor league deal with the Red Sox in August. Boston called him up to the MLB earlier this week, and it turned out to be a great decision. Hill retired all four batters he had faced against the Blue Jays and added two strikeouts to his resume.
“It’s pretty special,” Hill said after the game. “I think just effort and work. Everybody asks, ‘What’s the secret?’ It’s work. Just keep putting in the days, one drop in the bucket every day.”
After getting his MLB debut with the Chicago Cubs in 2005, Rich Hill went on to pitch for 12 more organizations, including three stints with the Red Sox before the most recent one. He compiled a career record of 90–73 with a 4.01 ERA and 1,425 strikeouts.
