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Baseballers of Lesser Note: Ken Hill
Topic Started: Sep 19 2011, 01:26 PM (2,108 Views)
Erick Von Erich
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I'm Big E and I tell it like it is
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Hallo there, and welcome to the fifteenth installment of (Professional) Baseballers of Lesser Note. In which we spotlight some of the distinguished gentlemen who have partaken in the professional gentleman's sport of baseball throughout the various eras encompassing the aforementioned sport.

This week we look at Ken Hill.

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What'd He Do?
14 Seasons, 117-109, 1,973 IP, 4.06 ERA, 1181 SO

What Can You Tell Us About Him?
A starting pitcher for most of his career, Hill first broke into the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1988. He moved into Whitey Herzog's rotation for the entire 1989 season, but it was not pleasant. Hill led the National League in losses that year, finishing 7-15 yet still a somewhat respectable 3.80 ERA. That kept him in the Cardinals' rotation until the end of the 1991 season. At that point, Hill had crafted a vintage 4th or 5th starter record, going 23-32 with a 4.03 ERA over the course of 3+ seasons.

At the end of 1991, Hill was sent to Montreal in a deal for the seemingly fading Andres Galaragga.

What Happened to Him?
Hill's career took off in Montreal. With a crew of young players, such as Moises Alou, Marquis Grissom, John Wetteland and Larry Walker, the Expos became baseball's "up and coming young team". Hill settled in as their "ace", leading the staff with a 41-21 record from 1992 to 1994.

Like the rest of the early 90's Expos his best year was 1994, when he went 16-5, made the NL All-Star Team and finished second in the Cy Young voting behind only Greg Maddux. Hill and the Expos' stellar season was another casualty of the 1994 Players Strike. The Expos had the best record in the majors at the time of the mid-August stoppage and many expected them to make the World Series. For Hill and the Expos, 1994 was the Greatest Season That Never Was.

With the exception of Alou, the core of the Expos' team left town after the strike. Grissom to Atlanta, Wetteland to New York, Walker went to Colorado ...and Hill back to St. Louis. Once again, St. Louis did not agree with Hill. Maybe it was the late start to the '95, but Hill was something of a flop, going 6-7 with 5.03 ERA. Thus, he was sent to the contending Cleveland Indians at the '95 trade deadline. In Cleveland, Hill regained his form as he went 4-1 down the stretch. He helped the Indians make their first World Series in 50 years, as he pitched 7 shutout innings in Game 4 of the ALCS, tying the Series with the Seattle Mariners at 2-2. He also started Game 4 of the World Series, but lost the game to Steve Avery and the Atlanta Braves. Hill finished the Series with a bullpen appearance in the deciding Game Six (which the Braves won 1-0 to win their only Championship in their string of Playoff Worthlessness).

In 1996, he signed with the Texas Rangers, tied his career season-high with 16 wins, finished 6th in CYA voting and started Game 2 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees. A game that was won, 5-4, by the Yankees in the bottom of the 12th after a Rangers error. Noteworthy, because the Rangers had led this series 1-0, until the Yankees rallied for this Game 2 win and went on to become the late 90's juggernaut that everyone loved or hated. Hill actually left Game 2 with a 4-3 lead...so in one of those weird "What if's", if Hill's team had generated one more run for him, the Yankee dynasty might've had a different start.

Game 2 of the 1996 ALDS was the last real game of note that Hill started in his career. He developed arm problems in 1997 and was never the same top-of-the-rotation guy he had been earlier in the decade. In the summer of '97, the Rangers traded Hill to the Anaheim Angels, for former World Series hero, Jim Leyritz. Hill spent the next three years with the Anaheim Angels as his injury problems continued. Arguably, one of his Anaheim highlights was getting the starting nod for the 2000 opener, the first by new skipper Mike Scioscia. Hill locked up with the Yankees again, but again his bulllpen couldn't hold the lead, as New York won.

After being released by the Halos in August 2000, Hill bounced around with the White Sox, Reds, Devil Rays and finally the Red Sox. He never made MLB appearances for either the Reds or Red Sox and officially retired at the end of 2001 campaign. When it was all said-and-done, Hill had managed to notch victories against 29 of the 30 MLB clubs; with the lone exception being the Arizona Diamondbacks, who didn't begin play until late in Hill's career.

Hill was a fine pitcher for the 90's. After the offensive burst of expansion and steroids in 1993, Hill continued to perform at an upper level. Yet always seemed one or two solid victories away from becoming a true star. If he had better luck with his bullpen, or the 1994 Strike had not occurred, Hill's career might've turned out even better. Make no mistake, he was a winning pitcher.
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torturedsoulv1
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I remember him very well for the breakout season with the Expos that you mentioned. Didn't realize he led the NL in losses with the Cards
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Scrooge McSuck
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I remember him vaguely, except for the Game 2 ALDS in the 1996 Playoffs of course. The '96 Yankees had some wonderful luck. The Rangers threw away game 2 (quite literally) of the ALDS, the Orioles were screwed in Game 1 of the ALCS with the kid reaching over for a "home run", and then the wonder-comeback of the year in Game 4 of the World Series, topped off with putting an underperforming Steve Avery in to face (and walk) Wade Boggs with the bases loaded to score the go ahead run in extras.
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