'A great memory': Rich Hill to start Pirates home opener 6 years after near no-hitter

When Rich Hill takes the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home opener Friday against the Chicago White Sox, it will bring back memories of a night where he flirted with perfection and took a no-hitter into the 10th inning at PNC Park.

That game is a good memory for the 43-year-old left-hander, even though it ended in defeat, but a secret to Hill’s longevity is he doesn’t dwell on the past as much as he looks forward to the future.

“It’s obviously very special to be able to have a home opener,” Hill said. “It’s just going out there and being the same guy every time I pitch. So it’s no different than any other day in that respect.”

For Pirates fans, seeing Hill will fuel flashbacks of Aug. 23, 2017, when he pitched perhaps the best game of his life only to lose on a Josh Harrison walk-off home run in the 10th inning.

“I think fans remember that,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “They’re going to remember a really good outing. I think he’s going to have a lot of good outings for us this year.”

August 23, 2017

Josh Harrison breaks up Rich Hill's no-hitter with a walk-off home run ???????? #PGHistory #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/djKxv4HAgG

— Pittsburgh Clothing Company (@PGHClothingCo) August 23, 2022

Hill was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of a dozen teams he has pitched for in 19 major-league seasons, and was perfect through eight scoreless innings. His bid for a perfect game was lost with one out in the ninth, when Dodgers third baseman Logan Forsythe booted a Jordy Mercer grounder for an error.

The no-hitter ended when Harrison led off the 10th by sending Hill’s 2-1 pitch, an 88-mph fastball, over the left-field wall. Dodgers outfielder Curtis Granderson nearly robbed Harrison, leaping and reaching into the stands, but came up empty.

“I’m sad for Rich,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “You look at opportunities that a player has to have a chance at a no-hitter, and he gave himself every opportunity. I’m very excited for Rich because he threw the ball so well but disappointed that he didn’t get that no-hitter.”

Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill watches a walk-off homer by Josh Harrison to break up his no-hitter during the10th inning tonight at PNC Park. pic.twitter.com/m0SMXU0g7Z

— Christopher Horner (@Hornerfoto1) August 24, 2017

Hill doesn’t hide his disappointment that he made history for the wrong reason, as Harrison became the first player in baseball history to end a no-hitter with a 10th-inning, walk-off home run. But Hill also knows that his pitching line was almost impeccable. He threw 75 of his 99 pitches for strikes and had 10 strikeouts without allowing a walk.

“That’s a great memory,” Hill said. “That’s the way baseball is. You can do everything right and still come out on the wrong side. You look at what the Pirates were able to do on that one day and that one game, with Josh Harrison being able to connect on a home run in the 10th.

“I’m a fan of the game. Being in it and being a competitor on the field, obviously this is my job. I take it extremely seriously. I think that’s one thing that I don’t look at as a negative. It was a positive day. For our team at the time, where we were going and where we were headed, it was forward motion. After a game is over, you think about it a little bit. You re-run it in your mind for a couple hours after the game, but the next day starts a new outing so you flush it and move on.”

The Dodgers won their next two games, then went into a tailspin by losing five in a row and 16 of their next 17 games. They finished with 104 wins before losing in seven games to Houston in a World Series tainted by the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.

Hill isn’t the type to tell people that he was an error away from pitching the 24th perfect game in MLB history or that he took a no-hitter through nine innings. He’s more interested in discussing the next game.

“I don’t really talk about it,” Hill said. “I don’t talk about any outings. I don’t look back on it or read anything or watch anything. I watch the team that I’m facing next. I’m always kind of moving forward and focusing on the task at hand. That’s something that has benefited me.

“Early in my career, that would have been something I’d thought more about, thinking about previous outings or how the ball was coming out before, but it really doesn’t do you any benefit as opposed to where you are right now in that moment. So switching my mindset and adding much more discipline to my career, it’s benefited me.”

Rich Hill on how his 18 years of MLB experience can be invaluable to a young team like the Pirates. pic.twitter.com/gcF93kzpEx

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) January 5, 2023

The 6-foot-5, 221-pound Hill has an 82-60 career record with a 3.85 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 351 appearances, including 222 starts. That includes an 8-3 win over the Pirates last Aug. 7 at PNC Park while pitching for his hometown Boston Red Sox, when he gave up a leadoff single to Kevin Newman and a two-run homer to Bryan Reynolds before retiring the next 12 batters on his way to giving up three hits over five innings.

Pirates pitchers have found Hill to be an invaluable resource, given his competitiveness, experience and desire to keep finding ways to improve. Hill hopes Pirates fans find him relatable, a blue-collar pitcher in a blue-collar town who has grinded his way to a respectable career and is looking forward to pitching at PNC Park this season.

“It’s obviously a park that I’ve performed well in,” Hill said. “At the same time, it’s about being able to execute your pitches and being able to have the ball come out of your hand the way you want to. It really comes down to that. That is keeping it as simple as possible. When you do that, good things will happen.”

Hill knows he will be working in the shadow of Andrew McCutchen, the five-time All-Star outfielder and 2013 NL MVP making his return to PNC Park in a Pirates uniform for the first time since 2017. Hill is as excited as anyone to feed off the crowd’s energy.

“Obviously, he’s a living legend in Pittsburgh. I understand the gravity of that and how awesome it is. It will be exciting to see, for sure,” Hill said. “At the end of the day, it’s trying for me to do my job, to go out there and execute pitches and put us in the best situation possible to win the game for the Pirates.

“For Andrew and the reception he’s going to get, I’m sure it’s going to be pretty special, extremely emotional. I hope all the guys in here take notice of that because certain things happen throughout your career that go by and you really want to be able to soak it in a little bit because it happens quick, and then when it’s over, it’s over. You don’t get those moments every year, but you really have to appreciate it. I hope the appreciation settles in here for what he has been able to accomplish in Pittsburgh and will continue to accomplish in Pittsburgh.”