Boston Red Sox Veteran Rich Hill Makes All Kinds of History in Return to MLB

Rich Hill tossed 1.1 scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, earning the 44-year-old lefty several spots in the Boston Red Sox and MLB history books.

Aug 29, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Rich Hill (44) reacts after striking out the last batter to end the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Rich Hill, who went pro in 2002, made his big league debut in 2005 and turned 44 years old in March, has officially made his triumphant return to the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox signed Hill on Aug. 17, then added him to their active roster on Aug. 27. With two outs in the top of the seventh of Thursday night's showdown with the Toronto Blue Jays, manager Alex Cora had Kutter Crawford pass the torch to Hill.

The veteran left-hander struck out the first batter he met, and he came back out to retire the Blue Jays in order in the eighth inning as well. While the 1.1 perfect innings Hill tossed ultimately couldn't help the Red Sox overcome a 2-0 deficit, he still made history just by taking the mound.

As noted by Red Sox director of media relations J.P. Long, Hill is the only player to appear in at least one MLB game in each of the last 20 seasons. On top of being the league's longest-tenured and oldest active player, he is one of just 13 players and five pitchers to make it through 20 seasons since the Wild Card era began in 1995.

The list also includes Zack Greinke, Bartolo Colón, LaTroy Hawkins and Óliver Pérez, as well as Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cabrera, Derek Jeter, Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi.

Hill is now one of four players and two pitchers in Red Sox history to play at the age of 44. Deacon McGuire, Carl Yastrzemski and Tim Wakefield also achieved the feat in 1908, 1983 and 2010, respectively. Only Wakefield was able to appear in a game at 45 years old.

Rich Hill is the only player to appear in at least 1 Major League game in each of the last 20 seasons (2005-24).

Hill joins Tim Wakefield (2010-11), Carl Yastrzemski (1983), and Deacon McGuire (1908) as the only individuals ever to play for the Red Sox at the age of 44 or older.

— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) August 30, 2024

Hill got his start with the Chicago Cubs in 2005, and after a one-year stint with the Baltimore Orioles he joined the Red Sox for the first time in 2010. The southpaw would eventually bounce around between the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres, making additional stops in Boston in 2015, 2022 and 2024.

For his career, Hill is 90-73 with a 4.01 ERA, 1.258 WHIP, 1,425 strikeouts and a 16.1 WAR. Across the six seasons, 30 starts and 41 relief appearances Hill has made in a Red Sox uniform, he is 12-8 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.186 WHIP and 3.9 WAR.

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