Call it the drive for five. Left-hander Rich Hill teased a potential reunion with the Boston Red Sox during an appearance Wednesday on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast.
The 45-year-old Hill, who’s currently a free agent, played for the Red Sox from 2010-12, then again in 2015, 2022 and 2024. But if he returns to Boston a fifth time, it could look a bit different.
“If they’re facing a lefty, I’ll go in and throw to the guys. What’s better than live arms?” Hill said while talking to WEEI’s Rob Bradford.
“So what you’re saying is you’ll volunteer, you’ll be the Red Sox batting pitcher?” Bradford asked.
“Yeah, but it’s live BP,” Hill answered.
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Clearly, Hill and Bradford were having some fun while talking about the southpaw’s future. The Boston native became a free agent last week after getting designated for assignment by the Kansas City Royals.
In May, Hill signed a minor-league deal with the Royals, who promoted him to the big leagues in June after nine appearances with Triple-A Omaha. He made two starts for Kansas City, going 0-2 with a 5.00 ERA and eight walks in nine innings of work.
Hill is a veteran with 21 big-league seasons on his resume. According to ESPN, he is tied with Edwin Jackson for the most franchises played in MLB history at 14.
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The lefty made his MLB debut in 2005 with the Cubs. He went on to play for the Red Sox, Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Oakland A’s, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels.
In his two-plus decade career, Hill has appeared in 388 games, making 250 starts. He’s 90-76 with a 4.02 ERA.
As for what it would take for Hill to throw BP for the Red Sox?
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“We’d have to come up with an undisclosed price. Unless you’re a player, your salaries don’t get disclosed. So we can’t disclose it,” Hill said jokingly.
According to Spotrac, Hill has made almost $80 million during his two-plus decades in the big leagues.
Featured image via Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images
