"25 consecutive wins in international competitions." I can't believe it's one hit and no run in four innings against Japan... Will the 44-year-old pitcher really return to ML in 2025
"25 consecutive wins in international competitions." I can't believe it's one hit and no run in four innings against Japan... Will the 44-year-old pitcher really return to ML in 2025
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Former veteran Rich Hill (44) hoped to return to the Major League in 2025.
John Morosi of MLB Network, a U.S. media outlet, said on his SNS on the 21st (Korea time), "The 44-year-old Hill told me he wants to play as a pitcher in 2025. Tonight (21st) he will have that opportunity in the Major League based on his impressive scoreless pitching in four innings against the world's No. 1 team."
In the first round of the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 Super Round held at Tokyo Dome, Japan on the 21st, the U.S. was completely defeated by Japan 1-9.
With this victory, Japan, the world's No. 1 player in the WBSC, has achieved six consecutive wins at the championship and 25 consecutive wins at international competitions, which started from the victory over Mexico in the Super Round of the Premier 12 in 2019. This is limited to competitions where professional players participate. 메이저사이트
The game was not necessarily in favor of Japan from the beginning. The two starting pitchers, Hill and Hiroto Takahashi, faced off each other in a tight race until the fourth inning, with the score tied 0-0. The game itself was quite different. While Takahashi displayed impressive strikeouts by allowing two hits, one walk, and eight strikeouts in four innings, Hill displayed seasoned pitching by allowing one hit and no outs in four innings. His pitching also made him doubt his age, and Hill proved why he survived for 20 years in the Major League by striking out subsequent batters in every crisis. After Hill went down, the Japanese batters exploded and his presence was even more noticeable.
Hill started his professional career by being nominated by the Chicago Cubs in the fourth round of the Major League Rookie Draft in 2002. Since his debut in 2005, Hill has played for 13 teams over the past 22 years, recording a total of 386 games (248 starts) with 90 wins and 74 losses with a 4.01 ERA and 1,428 strikeouts in 1,409 innings.
He played for the Boston Red Sox for the longest period in six seasons. He started the season after signing a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox again this year, and successfully made a call-up in the Major League, pitching in four games and three ⅔ innings.
Born in 1980, Hill is naturally the oldest pitcher in the Major League right now. He is one year older than Kia Tigers coach Lee Bum-ho (43) who was born in 1981. After playing as a full-time starter at 32 games with 11 wins, eight losses and an earned run average of 3.92 in 2007, Hill had a difficult time playing 182 innings for eight years.
After moving to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, however, he set a turning point and was able to continue his career as a starting pitcher. As he started 27 games out of 32 games until last year, he could return to the Major League next year.