BOSTON — Rich Hill took the mound as a relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night, becoming the only active player to appear in a major league game in each of the past 20 seasons.
“A lot of people helped me get to this point,” the left-hander said, struggling to control his emotions in the clubhouse after a 2-0 loss to the Blue Jays. “I worked and worked hard to get back. … I've always loved doing it, and I'm blessed to be able to do it.”
Hill, a former Yankees and Mets pitcher, took the mound for starter Cutter Crawford with two outs in the seventh inning and struck out Toronto center fielder Doulton Vercho to end the inning with a runner on second base.
The 44-year-old Hill, in his fourth stint with the Red Sox, received warm cheers from the crowd as he returned to the dugout and shook hands with manager Alex Cora.
He returned to the mound in the eighth inning with Boston trailing 2-0 and struck out all three batters he faced with one strikeout and two grounders.
Hill joins Tim Wakefield as the only pitchers older than 44 to appear for the Red Sox.
A native of Milton, Massachusetts, Hill, who played as a pitcher at the University of Michigan, has played for 13 different major league teams.
“You can't help but love him,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who recruited Hill as a catcher in the Cape Cod League more than 20 years ago. “I had a laugh when he came in. … I give him a lot of credit that he's still around. He's like the Tom Brady of New England baseball right now.”
