Rich Hill, Age 42, Plans To Pitch In 2023

Rich Hill, baseball's oldest pitcher, hopes to play again next season. He's open to a reunion with the Red Sox.

At age 42, Rich Hill wouldn't surprise anyone if he was thinking about retirement during the final days of the 2022 regular season.

Instead, baseball's oldest pitcher hopes to play again in 2023. Hill, now with the Red Sox, has discussed pitching a full year or signing midway through next season. Either way, he wants to continue his long career, and he's open to doing so in Boston.

“I would obviously love to come back here to Boston and play here,” Hill said, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo. “We love it here. I think [chief baseball officer] Chaim [Bloom] and the front office is going to build a winner next year. It’s something that, if it works out, it works out. We’ll keep the options open on whether it’s going to be a full season or a half season.”

Hill added that he will discuss his future plans with his wife and son, but the southpaw has shown that he still has some gas left in the tank after signing a one-year, $5 million contract with the Red Sox in early December. Hill has made 25 starts this season, recording a 4.41 ERA over 118.1 innings with a 96 ERA+ and a 3.82 FIP.

He missed a month earlier this season with a knee sprain. 

A Milton, Massachusetts native, Hill has already signed seven contracts with the Red Sox. He debuted with the Cubs in 2005, stopped in Baltimore in 2009, and first pitched in Boston from 2010-2012. Hill also played for the Red Sox in 2015 after reinventing himself as a starting pitcher.

Hill has also spent time with Cleveland, the Angels, Yankees, Athletics, Dodgers, Twins, Rays and Mets. He owns a 3.86 ERA for his career, which has spanned 220 starts, 349 games, 1,253 innings and 5,257 batters faced.