The Kansas City Royals turned to 45-year-old Rich Hill to start Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, making the left-handed pitcher the oldest player to appear in MLB this season.
Hill pitched five innings against the Cubs, allowing three runs — just one earned — striking out one batter and walking two. The Cubs went on to win the game, 6-0, with Hill taking the loss.
Hill was called up from the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers on Monday, July 21. The veteran left-handed pitcher last appeared in the majors late in the 2024 season, making four relief appearances in August and September for the Boston Red Sox.
Hill is one of just five players over 45 to play in the majors since 2010, and the first to do so since 2018. Hill also became the oldest player to ever play for the Royals, playing for his 14th MLB team. That ties Edwin Jackson’s record for the most teams played for by one player.
Here’s what to know about Rich Hill and the oldest active players in the majors:
Oldest active players in MLB
Rich Hill might be the oldest active player in Major League Baseball, but he’ll have to stick around for some time to break Satchel Paige’s incredible record. Paige was 59 years old when he made his final MLB appearance on Sept. 25, 1965, a record that might never be broken.
However, that’s not to take away from Hill and the other durable players across the majors who are still plugging away at the top of the sport. Here, per Baseball Reference, is a list of the 10 oldest active MLB players:
1. Rich Hill (Kansas City Royals) – 45 years, 133 days
2. Justin Verlander (San Francisco Giants) – 42 years, 152 days
3. Charlie Morton (Baltimore Orioles) – 41 years, 252 days
4. Max Scherzer (Toronto Blue Jays) – 40 years, 360 days
5. Justin Turner (Chicago Cubs) – 40 years, 241 days
6. Carlos Santana (Cleveland Guardians) – 39 years, 105 days
7. Chris Martin (Texas Rangers) – 39 years, 50 days
8t. Martín Maldonado (San Diego Padres) – 38 years, 340 days
8t. Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres) – 38 years, 340 days
10. Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh Pirates) – 38 years, 285 days
The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports’ newsletter.