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| Ken Hill | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1965-12-14)December 14, 1965 (age 60) Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 3, 1988, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 18, 2001, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 117–109 |
| Earned run average | 4.06 |
| Strikeouts | 1,181 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Kenneth Wade Hill (born December 14, 1965) is an American formerMajor League Baseballpitcher. During a 14-year career, he pitched for seven teams between 1988 and 2001. As a member of the Montreal Expos in 1994, he appeared in theAll-Star Game and finished the season tied for theNational League lead inwins. He pitched in the1995 World Series as a member of theCleveland Indians.
Hill graduated fromLynn Classical High School in 1983 and attendedNorth Adams State College.[1]
Hill signed a contract with theDetroit Tigers on February 14, 1985.[2] He made his professional debut that year for theGastonia Jets of theClass ASouth Atlantic League. Hill posted a 3–6 record in 15 appearances (12 starts), with an earned run average of 4.96 in 69 innings.[3]
Hill made 22 appearances (16 starts) for Gastonia in 1986. He posted a 9–5 record and a 2.79 ERA in 122.2 innings.[3] He also made a single start for theGlens Falls Tigers, Detroit'sClass AA affiliate,[3] before he and a player to be named later,Mike Laga, were traded to theSt. Louis Cardinals organization forMike Heath on August 10.[2] Before the season ended, Hill posted a 1–2 record in three starts with theArkansas Travelers, St. Louis's Class AA affiliate.[3]
He split the 1987 season between Arkansas and theClass ASt. Petersburg Cardinals. Hill made 18 appearances for each team and 12 starts combined. With Arkansas, he posted a 3–5 record and a 5.20 ERA over 53.2 innings. With St. Petersburg, he recorded a 1–3 mark and a 4.17 ERA over 41 innings.[3]
In 1988, Hill made 22 starts for Arkansas. He posted a 9–9 record and a 4.92 ERA.[3] He also saw limited action with the Cardinals, making his MLB debut on September 3.[2] In that game, Hill faced theHouston Astros and surrendered a pair of earned runs in three innings.[4] In 4 games (1 start) with the Cardinals, Hill tallied an 0–1 record and a 5.14 ERA in 14 innings.[2]
Hill was called up by the injury-plaguedSt. Louis Cardinals in 1989. He started well, but soon went downhill. He finished that season 7–15, but with a decent 3.80 ERA. After an ineffective 1990, Hill went 11–10 with a 3.57 ERA in 1991. In November 1991, he was traded to theMontreal Expos for first basemanAndrés Galarraga. It was as a member of these Expos that Hill found his groove.
In both 1992 and 1994, Hill won 16 games, going 16–9 with a 2.68 ERA in 1991 and 16–5 with a 3.32 ERA in 1994. Notably, the 1994 season was curtailed on August 12 due to theMajor League Baseball strike, stranding him on pace for a 23–7 season. He was also anAll-Star in 1994, pitching 2 innings in relief and walking one, and finished second inCy Young voting toGreg Maddux. He then returned to the Cardinals, where he suffered the same fate he endured in his first stint in St. Louis, winning only 6 games, losing 7, and posting a 5.06 ERA. He was then traded to theCleveland Indians forminor league prospectsDavid Bell,Rick Heiserman, and Pepe McNeal.[5] He did well for the Indians, going 4–1 in the remainder of the regular season and 2–1 in the postseason.
He filed forfree agency in the 1995 postseason and was signed by theTexas Rangers. In 1996, he tied for the team lead (along withBobby Witt) with 16 wins and led the Rangers to the postseason for the first time. In 1997, however, an injury sent him to thedisabled list and greatly affected the rest of his playing career. He also played for theAnaheim Angels after being traded there later in 1997 forJim Leyritz. He performed poorly over the next two years, going 13-17 and finally being relegated to the bullpen in 1999. He was released in August 2000 but signed by theChicago White Sox, for whom he promptly gave up eight runs in three innings and was released two weeks later.
He accepted a non-roster invitation from theTampa Bay Devil Rays in 2001, and appeared in five games for them before being released on April 19.[6][7] Hill subsequently signed a contract with theCincinnati Reds on May 18, but he was released exactly a month later, on June 18.[7] The next day, Hill was signed by theBoston Red Sox, but he did not remain with their organization following the season.[7]
Hill currently resides inKeller, Texas. His son,Kenny Hill, was aquarterback atTexas Christian University.[8] His youngest son, Marcus, played baseball for the Southlake Carroll Dragons and plays for theEastern Kentucky University.[9]
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