Enthusiasm was tempered when the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Rich Hill from the Oakland Athletics in a five-player trade completed prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline. After all, Los Angeles had been linked to the likes of Tampa Bay Rays righty Chris Archer and Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale.
Hill had quietly been one of the game’s best pitchers during the first half of the season. But he’d last truly pitched on July 7 at the time of the trade. Hill was removed from his July 17 outing after just five pitches because a blister ripped open.
The Dodgers waited more than three weeks from the point of acquiring the veteran southpaw for him to take the mound. Hill suffered multiple setbacks with nagging blisters that delayed his Dodgers debut.
Hill has been nothing short of outstanding since starting for Los Angeles against the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 24. He proved to be human Thursday night, but still had eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
Hill was also involved in a shouting match with Arizona Diamondbacks starter Archie Bradley. Dodgers and Diamondbacks benches and bullpens cleared, and both teams were issued a warning.
The brief altercation stemmed from an inside pitch Bradley threw on Hill’s bunt attempt. Hill downplayed the pitch and incident after the game, via Jake Rill of MLB.com:
“It was just being competitive, just wanted him to get the ball over the plate and really that was the end of it,” Hill said. “There was no ill will or anything like that. Just got excited. I saw the pitch, it was supposed to be inside and he just missed. I guess being a pitcher, I just got excited.”
Hill added he will continue to play with intensity, per Andy McCullough of the LA Times:
“I bring it every day,” Hill said. “And I’ll keep bringing it.”
Up until his past two starts, the majority of intensity seen from Hill was on his leg kicks and hops after delivering pitches. He was visibly upset over being removed from a perfect game in the eighth inning, though just as he did Thursday, quickly moved on.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts credited the 36-year-old for rising to the occasion during his start against the Giants, which was essentially Hill’s first competitive game in over one month.
