(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Pirates traded starting pitcher Rich Hill to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday before the deadline.
Hill, 43, will boost the Padres’ pitching staff and give it a veteran presence.
Amazingly, he is still an effective innings-eater with 119 innings of a 4.76 ERA for the Pirates to this point.
He is also a modern road warrior, accumulating enough miles to fly around the country at least a couple of times.
Hill is about to pitch for his 13th organization.
He is close to tying a record on that front.
“The Padres will be Rich Hill’s 13th different MLB team, tying Octavio Dotel for 2nd-most in MLB history, behind only: Edwin Jackson: 14,” MLB stats expert Sarah Langs tweeted.
the Padres will be Rich Hill’s 13th different MLB team, tying Octavio Dotel for 2nd-most in MLB history, behind only:
Edwin Jackson: 14 pic.twitter.com/widVJw7YxX
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 1, 2023
Both Dotel and Jackson made the most of their careers after the turn of the millennium: in past decades, it was unusual for players to switch teams so frequently.
Hill is one team away from being the person who has played for the most MLB franchises.
Will he pitch long enough to achieve that?
It would be a cool feat.
So far, he has worn the uniform of the Chicago Cubs (2005–2008), Baltimore Orioles (2009), Boston Red Sox (2010–2012), Cleveland Guardians (then Indians, in 2013), Los Angeles Angels (then Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, in 2014), New York Yankees (2014), the Red Sox again (2015), Oakland Athletics (2016), Los Angeles Dodgers (2016–2019), Minnesota Twins (2020), Tampa Bay Rays (2021), New York Mets (2021), again the Red Sox (2022), the Pirates (2023), and now the Padres (2023).
Most of those stints have been highly successful, as he has a career 3.93 ERA.
With a unique curveball, good command, and off-the-charts smarts, Hill is very much active and looking to add more achievements to his resume.
The post Rich Hill Continues To Approach A Legendary MLB Record appeared first on The Cold Wire.