Rich Hill, the only player to have appeared in a major league game each year for the past 20 seasons, was designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox on Friday.
The 44-year-old left-hander made his first appearance of the season on August 29, pitching four outs in a 2-0 loss to Toronto. He played in four games for the Red Sox this year, giving up two runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Hill has a 4.01 ERA in 386 MLB games, beginning his career in 2002 when he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the fourth round.
To replace Hill on the roster, Boston called up 24-year-old right-handed pitcher Luis Guerrero.
“It’s a tough decision,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said about the move. “He’s going to be a Red Sox for life, but I think it’s wise for us to start bringing in players who can help us in the future.”
During his career, Hill played for 13 different teams, with a record of 90-74 and 1,428 strikeouts over 1,409 innings.
Hill and the late Tim Wakefield are the only pitchers to have played for the Red Sox at age 44 or older. Wakefield was 45.
Hill, who was born in Boston, made his MLB debut with the Cubs in 2005.
He wore No. 44 during his most recent time with the Red Sox, the fourth stint he had with the team. The Red Sox signed him to a minor league deal on August 16.
In addition to the Red Sox, Hill also pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and New York Mets.
He is one team short of Edwin Jackson’s record for the most MLB teams played for.
As of Friday night, the Red Sox were on a five-game losing streak and 5 1/2 games behind in the race for the American League’s third and final wild-card spot. They are also a half-game behind Detroit and Seattle, both of which trail Kansas City by 5 games for the last playoff spot in the AL.
