Inside The Dodgers

Former Dodgers Pitcher Shockingly Designated For Assignment By Hometown Team

J.P. Hoornstra

Aug 29, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Rich Hill (44) is congratulated by manager Alex Cora (13) after ending the eighth inning with a strikeout against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Aug 29, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Rich Hill (44) is congratulated by manager Alex Cora (13) after ending the eighth inning with a strikeout against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images
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The Boston Red Sox waited until Aug. 17 to sign pitcher Rich Hill for his eighth stint with the organization. The Milton, Mass., native, who pitched for the Dodgers from 2016-19, had sat out the first half of the season to coach his son's Little League team.

When he returned and was promoted to the majors, Hill became the oldest active player in the game — 44, matching the jersey number on his back.

Now, less than a month later, the feel-good story is over. The Red Sox designated Hill for assignment on Friday, ending his latest stint with his hometown team after only four appearances.

The Red Sox selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Luis Guerrero and added him to their major league pitching staff to take Hill's place.

When he took the mound on Aug. 29 against the Toronto Blue Jays, Hill joined a select group of pitchers to appear in 20 major league seasons. He didn't allow a run in Boston's 2-0 win that day, or in three of his four outings. The only blemish on his record: A Sept. 1 game in Detroit in which the Tigers touchd him for a walk, hit batter, and home run. Hill allowed two runs while recording only two outs in the game.

Hill was already 36 years old when he scored the most lucrative contract of his long career in 2016: a three-year, $48 million contract with the Dodgers in Dec. 2016.

Hill went 30-16 as a Dodger with a 3.16 ERA in 69 regular season games (68 starts). He also appeared in 12 postseason games, making 11 starts — including three in the World Series. He was charged with three runs in those starts across 15 innings.

The Dodgers are one of 13 teams that has employed Hill in a career that began in 2005 with the Chicago Cubs. He relieved future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux in his debut. He relieved Tanner Houck, 28, in his most recent outing.

If that was the final game of Hill's career, he will have compiled a 90-74 career record with a 4.01 ERA.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra writes and edits Major League Baseball content for Inside the Dodgers, and is the author of 'The 50 Greatest Dodger Games Of All Time.' He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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