Hill climbs back up the mountain

In the minors for much of 2015, he reclaimed career

LOS ANGELES — Rich Hill is living a Hollywood story.

After the 2014 season, he was out of the major leagues. Hill never believed he was out of chances, but it certainly looked to be that way.

After a decade in the majors, Hill began 2015 with the Nationals’ Triple-A team in Syracuse, N.Y., and then was released in June. Unwanted by a single bigleague organization and already in his mid-30s, he eventually found himself pitching for the Long Island Ducks in the summer of 2015.

“A couple years ago, I was using a bucket in independent ball as a toilet,” Hill recalled last weekend.

But after signing with the Ducks, Hill began his comeback. He struck out seven over five hitless innings against the Bridgeport Bluefish on Aug. 2, then a week later Hill struck out 14 over six scoreless innings versus the Camden Riversharks.

“I never thought I was done,” Hill said in December.

Indeed, he wasn’t. He returned to the majors later in 2015, pitching in four games for the Red Sox. Hill went 2-1 with a 1.55 ERA in those starts, good enough to convince the A’s to give him a one-year, $6 million deal for the 2016 season.

The Dodgers acquired him Aug. 1 last year, and after posting a 7-5 record and 2.12 ERA in 20 starts, he was rewarded with a threeyear, $48 million deal during the offseason. Left-hander Rich Hill started Game 2 of the World Series for the Dodgers on Wednesday when they hosted the Astros.

On Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, Hill reached his zenith as he started Game 2 of the World Series against Justin Verlander and the Astros.

Script writers seeking a follow-up to “Bull Durham,” “Field of Dreams” and “The Natural” need look no farther than Dodger Stadium, just 7 miles down U.S. Highway 101 from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Though now in a far different place, Hill still thinks back to “those times of struggle, of failure in the rehab, the years of rehabbing, not being in an affiliated clubhouse.”

“You understand how fortunate you are to be able to get the opportunity to go out there and play,” he said.

And while the 37-yearold Hill has reached the professional mountaintop, he appreciates the journey he was required to make to get there.

“It was a great experience,” he said of the recent time spent in the minors. “I wouldn’t change that for anything.

“It was learning again, reigniting that fire, reigniting that passion for what we do out there on the field and really getting back into disassociating yourself with the results and just understanding that it is a pitch-topitch process and the moment is all that matters.”

Hill hopes too that his success story causes people to look more closely at minor-league baseball and the players in it.

“I think it’s something that people will think of and say, ‘Wow, it’s just a bunch of guys (who) are washed up or didn’t get an opportunity to make it,’ ” he said Tuesday. “But that’s not true.

“If you actually go to a game and take it in, (you’ll) see there’s a lot of good talent here. It just happens that there wasn’t any room for these players in affiliated baseball.”

At the news conference to announce his big deal with Dodgers, Hill’s voice quavered and his face flushed with emotion when he thanked his wife, Caitlin; son Brice, who was born in 2011; and son Brooks, who was less than 2 months old when he died in February 2014.

“He was born with multiple issues that we confronted and had to deal with,” Hill said at spring training that year. “Unfortunately he succumbed. He’s passed. He taught us a lot of things, (but) unfortunately things didn’t work out.”

Since arriving in Los Angeles, Hill’s performance has been blistering — in both good and bad ways.

He retired the first 21 batters in Miami on Sept. 10, 2016, when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removed him after 89 pitches.

“I feel sick to my stomach,” Roberts said then. “This is probably the worst I’ve felt after a win.”

Hill missed significant time last year because of physical issues. A strained left groin kept him out between May 29 and July 2, then a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand sidelined Hill from July 17 to Aug. 24.

It was more of the same this season.

On Aug. 23, Hill retired RESULTS, SCHEDULE All games at 8 p.m. on FOX Dodgers 3, Astros 1 Wednesday at Dodgers, late Friday at Astros Saturday at Astros Sunday at Astros Tuesday at Dodgers Nov. 1 at Dodgers the first 24 batters in Pittsburgh before third baseman Logan Forsythe misplayed Jordy Mercer’s grounder for an error in the ninth, ending another perfectgame bid. Hill pitched nohit ball until the Pirates’ Josh Harrison homered leading off the 10th for a 1-0 win.

But again Hill’s season was interrupted by the blister, which sent him to the disabled list from April 7-16 and April 17 to May 16. After returning for the second time, he held opponents to a .194 batting average and averaged 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings while finishing with a 12-8 record.

Hill didn’t get a decision in his first two postseason starts this year. He allowed two runs over four innings as the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 8-5 in Game 2 of the National League Division Series and then gave up one run over four innings during a 4-1 win over the Cubs in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series.

Roberts admires Hill for a passion and intensity that stands out even among hyper-competitive majorleaguers.

“He’s wacky on his start days,” Roberts said. “He gets more mad when he swings and misses than he does giving up a homer.

“This guy thinks he’s Superman on the baseball field. So it’s kind of comical at times.”

MATT YORK/AP