Jamie Moyer would be proud.
The Kansas City Royals lost 6-0 to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night, continuing an underwhelming stretch of baseball that has left them 10 games out of first place.
But for baseball cultists and historians alike, Wrigley Field was the most exciting place in the sport.
Rich Hill, two decades removed from making his MLB debut in Chicago, found himself back in the bigs, making history with each 89 mph fastball.
Hill made history on the bump
Aside from top prospects, Hill might have been the most anticipated midseason call-up of the summer. At 45 years young, he's the oldest player in baseball. After loitering with Kansas City's Triple-A affiliate, he finally appeared in an official MLB game for the first time since Sept. 4 as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
In doing so, he broke the franchise record as the oldest player to play for Kansas City.
This opportunity wasn't guaranteed. He was unsigned until May 14. In his first two starts of July, Hill surrendered 12 earned runs in eight innings. He posted a 5.36 ERA in Triple-A with a FIP above 6.00 and over five walks per nine innings.
“I’m absolutely grateful for the opportunity to be able to put on a uniform again,” Hill said, via Joey Pollizze. “I’m just happy that it worked out.”
In wearing Royal blue, Hill tied Edwin Jackson's record by playing for his 14th MLB team. The bulk of Hill's career was split between the Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers, with short cameos on 11 other teams.
Kansas City lost, but it's awfully hard to win games while getting shut out by Matthew Boyd. Hill pitched well, too, allowing three runs (one earned) across five innings. He surrendered six hits and two walks, striking out a single batter.
It's not exactly a recipe for long-term success. But Hill already made it back. He's climbed the mountain, and to some, he's playing with house money.
“It's easy to say that you love it, but when you know you have more to give, it's tough to walk away,” Hill said. “Going into this season, knowing that I wasn't going to be participating in a Spring Training or getting ready for a Spring Training, working at home, and getting ready, knowing that there was something still in there. I didn’t want to ask, ‘what if.’ That was really the big thing this season, knowing there was something left and knowing that I could contribute to a ballclub.”
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Hill has grown used to the atypical start to the season. He didn't sign with Boston until August of last season.
With Kansas City, Hill's journey continued, perhaps for the final time. His game, however, remains unchanged. It's been a while since Hill consistently topped 90 mph, but he has long found success dropping sub-80-mph breaking balls in the zone. Inducing soft contact has elongated Hill's career, earning MLB paychecks without posting double-digit strikeouts in a season's worth of innings since 2018.
At 45, Hill's days in Major League Baseball are numbered. Michael Lorenzen's strained oblique might be the only thing standing between Hill and the last bad news of his career.
The sun is setting in Kansas City. For both Hill and the 40-somethings holding onto the fleeting sign of their youth, there isn't much left to do but enjoy it.
“Just keep working,” Hill said. "... Every time I go out there, I’m going to give everything I’ve got.”
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