After Rich Hill’s most recent outing, when manager Derek Shelton called him “the perfect guy” to start the Pirates’ 11:35 a.m. affair this past Sunday against the Cardinals, the 43-year-old pitcher paused for a second and cracked a wry smile.
Hill refused to make the joke everyone thought, talking instead about needing to embrace the conditions, good or bad.
Days later while watching batting practice alongside a Post-Gazette reporter at PNC Park, asked to reflect on his longevity and why the heck he keeps doing this, MLB’s oldest player shared what he thought about saying in that moment.
“Yeah, like I was up at 5:30 in the morning for coffee and had my toast," Hill said, laughing.
So, was he?
"I was up. There’s no question I was up. I barely sleep anymore. … I get decent sleep, but it’s very sporadic."
As far as Hill is concerned, consistent sleep can wait. For the foreseeable future, Hill is thrilled to keep obsessing over starts, staying in the moment, helping his teammates, maintaining his body and acquiring knowledge.
It's all part of a never-ending quest for Hill, a predilection for the journey versus the destination.
"At the end of the day, it’s not about pitching in the big leagues," Hill said. "Yes, that’s a very fortunate part of the job that we get to do. But it’s the process. It’s who you become through it. That's one thing I really enjoy."
The process for Hill matters a great deal.
Ask about Hill’s secret to longevity, and one of the first things you'll hear involves his day-after-start routine. A shoulder-strengthening program. Jogging or stadium steps for cardio. A lower-body workout and separate core routine.
It's something Hill cares about a great deal, worrying that if he lets anything slip, it might all come tumbling down. Plus, Hill's mindset flipped forever in 2014, when he and his wife, Caitlin, lost their newborn son, Brooks, to a rare brain disorder.
Laser focus, intensity and an adherence to the present shapes everything Hill does.
“Staying in the moment is when we can be our most creative,” Hill said. “Our eyes are open, and we’re often giving our best effort.”
Hill also isn't perfect. Staying asleep for a full eight hours can often be a difficult task. The pitcher’s mind will inevitably wander.
"You start thinking about your beneficial footprint on society, your definition of success and how that changes,” Hill said. “That keeps me up at night.
"My beneficial footprint includes my family and this team. Where can we go to improve and help guys in certain situations? I love doing that. I'm all for getting the team better and also learning from other players."
That's a big one for Hill, who has a 4.41 ERA in 12 starts in his 19th MLB season: learning. When Hill is running or driving, he loves listening to podcasts on how creative people find success. He'll also watch YouTube videos about mindsets or inspirational speeches.
Age-wise, Hill thinks a lot about Roger Clemens, Nolan Ryan and Jamie Moyer, guys who pitched into their mid-to-late 40s. But as much as he respects them, he’s never really thought much about their age. Their work ethic and obsession with their craft was what resonated most with Hill.
There's also a line from Greg Maddux that Hill picked up when they were together in Chicago many years ago: Know what you want to do the night before you come to the field. Every move Hill makes is made with intent. He refuses to waste any of the time he has left on a baseball field.
"You see someone who pitched that long, and you think, ‘[Age] didn’t matter to him, so why should it matter to me?’ ” Hill said.
“I love the game. I love competing. The walls that are put up for all of us, in any situation in life, are just there to see how much you want to keep going and go through those."
Hill will never say what he plans to do next season, and there's a reason for that. He feels he's cheating himself and his teammates by thinking that far ahead. "If your mindset has gone there,” Hill said, “I consider that quitting."
In the right setting, he's also able to laugh at how old he acts — things like looking forward to next morning’s coffee or feeling wild when he allows himself to stay up an extra hour to watch a particular show.
Hill, who’s big into standup comedy, also embraces the age-related jokes, believing it's all part of his process.
"It’s funny as hell," Hill said. "I think laughing is a huge cure to a lot of things. That’s one thing that I certainly enjoy with the guys. Also, I’m 43 now. Think about what it was like when I was 38."
Maybe in five more years we'll be looking back at this season the same way.
"I always feel like there’s more to be accomplished, always, always," Hill said. "That’s one thing that continuously kind of drives me to come in the next day, put in the time, put in the effort and put in the work."
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: June 9, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
