'I hoped to see it, but it was a long shot'
Rich Hill reportedly is coming home. Again.
The Boston Red Sox agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the pitcher, adding a hometown arm to the rotation on Wednesday, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier and confirmed by Robert Murray of Fansided.
It will be his seventh time signing a contract with the team he was raised rooting for, growing up in nearby Milton, Mass. So what better time to bring up this adorable story about the time a 24-year-old Hill attended the 2004 World Series Parade with his father Lloyd, who was interviewed by The Boston Globe.
Here’s the excerpt, via The Athletic’s Andy McCullough:
Lloyd Hill, 76, was there with his son, Rich, 24, who is a pitcher in the Chicago Cubs’ farm system. “I’ve waited my whole life for this,” said the elder Hill, who lives in Milton. “I hoped to see it, but it was a long shot. The way they won it, it’s absolutely miraculous.
“Thank you,” he added, to no one in particular.”
The 41-year-old comes with 17 years of experience having played for 11 teams across Major League Baseball, offering another solid veteran presence to the rotation.
Hill appeared in 32 games in 2021 between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets posting a 3.86 ERA across 158 2/3 innings.