Why Rich Hill is absolutely for real

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Rich Hill has had a fascinating, unique career, full of more twists and turns than a “Game of Thrones” episode, with some of the same tragedy. He has spent parts of every season since 2005 in the majors. He has also spent parts of every season since 2005 in the minors, except for 2007 and 2013. He has pitched for seven different teams in the majors (two stints with the Red Sox). He has pitched for 16 different minor league teams, not including winter ball. He has appeared for Pawtucket, Boston’s Triple-A team, in five separate seasons. At one point last season he ended up pitching for the independent Long Island Ducks of Atlantic League, after the Nationals had granted him his release.

Now the 36-year-old lefty, who signed with the Oakland Athletics in the offseason, is looking like one of the best starters in baseball.

And he’s for real.

His story goes back to 2007, when he had a solid season with the Cubs, going 11-8 with a 3.92 ERA and striking out 183 batters in 195 innings. He ranked fifth in the National League in strikeouts and eighth in WHIP. Then came a bout of wildness and shoulder surgery, and then Tommy John surgery in 2011. From 2010 to 2014 he appeared in 119 games, all out of the bullpen. Two years ago, he lost an infant son to medical issues.

When Hill exercised his out clause with the Nationals and was released, he wanted to give starting pitching one last try. Major league organizations, however, viewed him as a reliever; he went home and stretched out his pitch counts with bullpen sessions with his old American Legion team. Only the Ducks gave him a chance to start. After two dominant outings with them, he signed with the Red Sox, with no guarantee of a September call-up. Then, for maybe the first time in his career, luck intervened. Steven Wright suffered a concussion. Joe …

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