Royals’ Rich Hill is now the oldest active player in Major League Baseball.

Rich Hill Ties MLB Record in Royals Debut

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Rich Hill faced the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, marking a notable moment in his career despite the team’s 6-0 loss. At 45 years old, Hill, playing for his 14th major league team, tied the record held by Edwin Jackson.

This game made Hill the oldest active player in Major League Baseball, which is quite a milestone. It was his first outing with the Royals, where he was hoping to kick off the season on a positive note.

Hill pitched five innings, allowing six hits and three runs, although two of those runs were somewhat unlucky. He also had two walks and managed to strike out a comparable number of batters.

“He fought his ass out there,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro remarked post-game. “It was tough being there early.” He noted that while Hill had some walks, he made competitive pitches, although the defense didn’t support him as expected, which could have altered the game’s outcome.

There were two innings that were particularly challenging for Hill, where he threw 31 of his 90 total pitches. It seems his defense let him down during those crucial moments, contributing to the runs scored by the Cubs.

Hill acknowledged the difficulty of those innings, commenting, “You know, the two innings were a bit of a grind to get through. But overall, I felt like the ball came out of my hands the way I wanted it to.” This season begins his 21st year in the majors, though he has some catching up to do to match Jamie Moyer, who pitched for the Colorado Rockies at age 49 in 2012.

Interestingly, at 45 years and 133 days, Hill set the record as the oldest player in Royals history, surpassing Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry.

After being called up from Triple-A, Hill’s performance is under watch, but Quatraro hasn’t disclosed when he might pitch next. However, Hill is eager to get back on the mound.

Reflecting on his long career, he mentioned, “It’s easy to say you love it, but it’s hard to leave when you know there’s more to give.” Over the years, he’s played for many teams, including the Cubs and the Red Sox, to name a few.