FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Rich Hill has done it all in his major league career. Or rather, almost all.
He's played for 11 different franchises, including three separate stints with the Red Sox. He's pitched more than 1,100 innings, and survived multiple surgeries to his elbow and shoulder.
He's earned better than $62 million and has forged more friendships across the game than he could possibly count.
But as Hill readies for the 2022 season, there remains a hole in his resume.
Manager Alex Cora noted recently that Hill seemed almost obsessed with winning a World Series, something that has eluded him despite a couple of close calls in both 2017 and 2018, both with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
When Cora's remarks were relayed to him, Hill almost seemed a bit embarrassed and gently took issue with his manager's characterization, but admitted that winning a title remains a big driving force.
"It was a big part of (signing here),'' acknowledged Hill to BostonSportsJournal.com. "Honestly, after coming so close (a couple of times), I think about what Derek Jeter used to say: 'If we don't win the World Series, it's a failed season.' I never realized that before, but he's absolutely right.''
Simply playing 17 seasons in the big leagues doesn't guarantee a ring. Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski, arguably the two greatest players in Red Sox history, played a combined 42 seasons for the Sox and neither player won it all. On the other hand, teammate Xander Bogaerts won a Series just months after making his debut, then added a second one five years later.
The game can be cruel in that way. There are no guarantees. But still, Hill pushes forward, and is appreciative of the fact that he's pitched in the playoffs in four of his last six seasons.
"There's a lot of guys who don't even get an opportunity to go (to the playoffs),'' noted Hill. "I've played with a couple of guys who played in the big leagues for 15 years and they got one opportunity (in the postseason). Look at Mike Trout (who's been in one postseason series in his career). Some guys get there early on in their career and never get back. Some guys are fortunate to be in position for several years of their career.''
But Hill knows that at 42, time is starting to run out. He enjoyed a strong season last year, splitting time between Tampa Bay and the New York Mets, and had a number of interested teams bidding for his services in 2022. But 42 is 42, which is why he chose carefully.
"Coming here and knowing Alex's mindset and what he's all about (was a driving factor),'' said Hill. "Even on Day One of spring training, we practice the way we're going to play. There's an intensity about it, and that intensity carries over to the season, when big moments come up. You've already practiced in that intense atmosphere, to provide a better chance at success, in terms of an outcome.''
In both 2017 and 2018, Hill was a member of the National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. In his first World Series, the Dodgers fell to the Astros in seven games. The following year, the Red Sox beat L.A. in five games.
Coming as close as he did -- in back-to-back seasons -- only served to whet Hill's appetite further.
"That's all it's about,'' said Hill flatly of winning it all. "That's why I'm still playing. I love the competition. I also understand the balance of wanting something so bad but also not having it become all-consuming. You have the daily routine and you know what you're supposed to do, to get yourself in the best position possible to (win). But it's a possibility; it's not guaranteed.
"What makes it so fun, what makes the competition so fun, is, I just threw two innings today on the back field. I'm kind of excited to see how I feel tomorrow. And then go down the work from there to get ready to do it again. After that, you just get into the routine. It's almost like you put the blinders on for the season and continue to keep working and putting yourself in a position to help the team win. And that's it.''
The consecutive trips to the World Series taught Hill what was necessary to make it that far into the journey. But it was also humbling to recognize that, the following spring, what had been accomplished the previous October meant nothing. The game brokers no guarantees.
"You can see the road a lot clearer,'' he said of winning a pennant but falling short in the Series, "and how to get there. But you also understand that you have to do it all over again. That can either be motivating or discouraging. It helps you recognize that every step matters, and that it takes every guy in the locker room, and 162 games. Winning in April is just as important as winning in September. And that every little thing matter. It really does.
"That's all knowledge gained. (Coming close), I don't look as it as a failure because of what you've gained in experience, you can use for the next year. You can talk to guys about certain situations. Nothing's a better teacher than experience.''
Pitching at home this season -- Hill is a native of Milton, MA, and lives in the area year-round -- will be a nice bonus this season, llowing him to spend more time with his wife and son. But his eyes remain firmly on one prize and one prize only.
"I've never been in this game, to be quite honest with you, for individual accolades,'' he said. "I haven't really attained a ton of individual accolades. I want to play this game so we can win and to win a World Series and understand the team concept. I think that's attributed to upbringing.''
From his own history, Hill recognizes that you can never take anything for granted in the game. He reached the postseason with the Chicago Cubs in his second major league season, then waited another nine years before getting there again. In between, there were plenty of physical setbacks and a stint in independent ball. He's enjoyed a career renaissance after turning 36.
"When you get there as a young player, you experience a false sense of reality,'' he said. "Every year is its own entity. You can't come back and say, 'Well, I want to do what I did last year, but be a little bit better.' No. You have today and that's it. It's like scaling a mountain -- the next time you try, you're starting from the bottom again. That's one thing I had to learn. You go out there, you have a good year and you're like, 'Oh yeah, I'll just come back next year and do it again.' But you get injured, or you get your ass handed to you a couple of times, and you're like, 'Wait a minute. This isn't the same thing.'
"The one thing that you can continually control is the effort and the attitude and the intensity. That keeps you consistent. Being diligent about putting in the effort, everything else fades away.''
Hill has played with hundreds of teammates, but he's yet to ask anyone who has experienced the ultimate high of winning a World Series what that feeling is like.
"No, I haven't, not really,'' he said shaking his head. "But watching interviews, of guys who get to the top of that mountain, it seems like it would be pretty amazing. But I have a feeling, if I were to make a foreshadowing guess (about how it would feel), I think, yes, the goal is to win a World Series. But you look at the journey and how difficult it's been, but you did it.
"That's the one thing that I could kind of see in the center of the bullseye when it all comes together.''
