Dick Mountain is riding again.
Former Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill, whose last MLB appearance came on Sept. 4, 2024 with the Boston Red Sox, is expected to be promoted from the minors by the Kansas City Royals, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray.
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Hill, who pitched for the Dodgers from 2016-19, would become the oldest active pitcher in MLB when he appears in a game for the Royals. He turned 45 in March.
Hill quickly became a fan favorite in Los Angeles after he was acquired in a midseason trade with the Oakland Athletics, along with outfielder Josh Reddick, for pitchers Jharel Cotton, Frankie Montas, and Grant Holmes at the 2016 deadline.
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After the season, Hill signed a three-year, $48 million contract with the Dodgers. At age 36, it was easily the largest contract of his professional career, which had already spanned parts of 15 seasons. His Players’ Weekend jersey — which cleverly featured the name “D. Mountain” on the back — became a popular sight at Dodger Stadium.
Over parts of four seasons in Los Angeles, Hill went 30-16 with a 3.16 ERA. Far from finished, Hill pitched for six different teams — including the Boston Red Sox twice — from 2020-24.
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Hill signed a minor league contract with the Royals on May 14. In 11 games (all starts) at Triple-A Omaha, Hill went 4-4 with a 5.22 ERA.
Hill’s ERA blew up after a pair of bad starts on July 2 and 8; he allowed 12 earned runs in eight innings across the two games combined. But in two starts since, Hill has allowed only one run across two innings. His last start, a two-inning outing on Saturday, might leave him available to pitch in short order.
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Kansas City is 48-52, fourth place in the American League Central and 5.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card standings. The Royals will be the 14th team he’s pitched for since his June 15, 2005 debut with the Chicago Cubs, which will tie the major league record set by Edwin Jackson.
Hill is 90-74 with a 4.01 ERA in 386 games (248 starts) for the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Angels, New York Yankees, A’s, Dodgers, Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres in 20 big league seasons.
Hill will become the oldest player to appear in a major league game since 45-year-old Ichiro Suzuki batted for the Seattle Mariners in March 2019.
More to come on this story.
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