Veteran Kansas City Royals Southpaw Pitcher Rich Hill Makes Franchise History

It’s obvious that 45-year-old southpaw starting pitcher Rich Hill isn’t ready to call it a career.

Hill, who has pitched in the majors for 20 years, agreed back on May 13th to a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals.

Still wanting to compete, Hill posted a 4-4 record with Triple-A Omaha and a 5.36 ERA before getting that much-anticipated phone call from the Royals informing the veteran that on Tuesday, July 22nd, he will be making his Royals debut at Wrigley Field against the first-place Chicago Cubs.

In a perfect world, Hill would have thrown a no-hitter, but that wasn’t the case as he surrendered three runs (one earned) and six hits, walked two, struck out one, and saw the Cubs steal four bases in five innings of work during an eventual 6-0 loss.

Rich Hill Makes History With the Royals

Hill Sets a Kansas City Royals Record and Equals an MLB Record For Teams Played In a Career 

Royals franchise history was being made on this day as Hill, at 45 years and 133 days, surpassed Gaylord Perry as the oldest starting pitcher in Royals history. Perry had the record when, in 1983, he started as he just turned 45 years old.

Following his Royals debut performance, Hill joined former starting pitcher Edwin Jackson as the only major leaguers to pitch for 14 teams in their careers. Hill also joined another exclusive club in becoming only the 18th ball player 45 years or older to play major league baseball.

Hill’s major league debut was way back on June 15, 2005 with the Cubs and since that time he has also pitched for the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, a second sting with the Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates and a third stint with the Red Sox where his put together a 90-74 record with a 4.01 ERA along with 1,428 strikeouts.

“You know, the second inning was a bit if a grind to get through,” Hill said about his outing. “But overall, I felt like the ball came out of my hand pretty much the way I wanted to. ” He also went on to say, “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 Struggled With the Red Sox and Eventually Released 

What makes this start for Hill so incredible is not just his age but that the last time he threw in a major league game was in September 2024 in relief as a member of the Red Sox. In four relief appearances, Hill had a 4.91 ERA before getting released on September 9th.

Prior to getting called up, Royals manager Matt Quatraro had a lot of praise for Hill, saying,

“He’s very athletic and keeps himself in great shape. He can move around the mound well. He can change arm angles. Se everything that he’s always done, he’s still capable of doing it.”

With the Call-Up, Hill Becomes the Oldest MLB Starting Pitcher 

Hill now moves past San Francisco Giants starter Justin Verlander as the majors’ current-day oldest starting pitcher. Before Hill got called up, Verlander, at 42 years old, was the oldest.

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

One thing is for certain, and that’s the fact that no one can ever question the determination of Hill, who, once his career is over, doesn’t want any regrets.

“Going into this season, knowing that I wasn’t going to participating in a Spring Training or getting ready for a Spring Training, 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.”

Prior to Tuesday, the last time Hill started a game was on September 4, 2023.

Main Image: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images