Dodgers LHP Rich Hill Pays Tribute To Late Son After Signing 3-Year, $48M Deal

Rich Hill has landed a major contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dodgers LHP Rich Hill Pays Tribute To Late Son

The Dodgers, who acquired the left-hander from the Oakland A’s on August 1, re-signed him to a three-year, $48 million deal on Monday.

Hill, 36, took some time to compose himself before finally speaking at Monday’s news conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

“There is a lot of emotion up here,” Hill said a few minutes later. “I kept telling myself I wouldn’t do this. It’s something that’s been an incredible journey to get here, but never did I think that I would pack it in. I never thought I was done.”

The veteran pitcher is right. His route to earning this big payday has been very unconventional, to say the least. Hill has faced one struggle after another throughout his career. He has undergone both shoulder surgery and Tommy John surgery, and pitched for the independent Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks in 2015. He had churned through seven different teams in the previous nine years.

However, these were merely the professional setbacks he faced since being drafted in the fourth round by the Chicago Cubs in 2002 and pitching for eight MLB teams since 2008.

Nevertheless, his most life-altering setback– unsurprisingly– was the tragic loss of his son Brooks, who died in 2014 from complications after birth.

At Monday’s press conference, Hill thanked his wife Caitlyn and his sons Brice and Brooks in a very moving moment:

Caitlyn and Brice both attended the conference.

“You see the competition, you see the consistency and his focus and preparation,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “There’s a lot of intensity and that huge competitor in him.”

After four starts with the Red Sox, Hill impressed Oakland enough to receive a $6 million contract.

“As I’ve gotten older, it’s something that you learn that you only have a certain amount of time, and you want to make the most out of your time that you have,” Hill said. “Being here in L.A. gives us that opportunity to bring a World Series to the city. That’s what we wanted.”

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 18: Rich Hill #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs in game three of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 18, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena