He is of the age -- 42 -- when others in his line of work begin eyeing the finish line, having more than put their time in. The golf course begins to look a little more inviting while the prospect of tedious year-round workouts become less and less appetizing.
He's made money and he's made friends, and he doesn't have to do this anymore. But the allure -- the competition that drives him and defines him -- is still powerful.
And there is this: on nights like Wednesday, Rich Hill can still be a pretty good starting pitcher. Maybe can't do it every five days. And maybe, as he was reminded over the summer, the physical setbacks take a bigger toll. He missed almost exactly a month when he suffered a left knee sprain in early July, the kind of thing that he might have brushed off a decade ago.
So instead of lugging his body to the end of the season and walking away after 18 years in the big leagues, Hill is working to get better.
His fastball doesn't scare anybody, but it can fool some hitters. And when he artfully mixes it with his curveball, which he throws at the bottom of the strike zone, it can be an effective combination. Earlier in the year, he began fooling around with a cutter in the bullpen and the Red Sox coaching staff urged him to incorporate it into his pitch mix. That, plus the occasional changeup, gives him four pitches with which to fight off both opposing hitters and advancing age.
Hill, then, isn't about to go quietly into the baseball night. He loves the game too much, and his newly expanded arsenal may help combat the numbers he can't do much about -- his age, and his fastball, which, in today's game of turbo-charged heaters, barely registers on the radar gun.
But while others can get by on velocity, Hill can work opposing lineups with guile and know-how.
Just ask the Baltimore Orioles. Hill had them off-balance for much of the night, adding and subtracting while occasionally altering his arm angle. He's open to whatever adjustment he can make if it will produce an out in a big spot.
The O's had just five hits over six innings, and his precise control resulted in just one walk. His seven strikeouts across six innings were a reminder that pitching is less about how fast you throw and more about where you throw a pitch and when.
Like some bad alchemist on the mound, Hill is still tinkering, still looking to give himself every advantage. Whatever it takes.
"Velocity-wise (he can't match others),'' acknowledged Alex Cora. "But the pitch characteristics are good -- the spin rate and all that stuff. Sometimes he complains about all the new stuff, whatever, but he is kind of like the new era pitcher -- fastballs up, the spin, the great breaking ball, you see the efficiency of his pitches. He can pitch. He can pitch.
"Obviously, the arm angles and the pace and the slide step and all that, that's part of the equation. But I think if you (examine) the pitches, one by one, they're really good. All of them. The velocity isn't 97-98 mph, but just like a few other guys in this league this year, just changing speeds and using the fastball in certain spots, you can dominate. Today, he did an outstanding job.''
If Hill is proud of his ability to adapt, to keep learning new tricks as it were, he hides. To hear him talk about it, incorporating the cutter and change were borne of professional survival.
"A lot of the game is (about) making adjustments,'' he said. "It's not so much to stay relevant, but it's about how are you going to find ways to keep getting hitters out? Refining your craft. I think that's one thing I've always done, is continue to evolve and make adjustments. In order to stick around, you have to continue to make adjustments throughout your career and this is just another one of those.''
As much as Hill cherishes the competition and the camaraderie that comes from being part of his team, he's given some thought to cutting back his work schedule. Hill has mused about perhaps joining a team for just the second half of next season. That way, there's less of a demand on his body, and at the same time, less time away from his family.
From a team standpoint, this has been a disappointing season. Hill had been hopeful that a year with the Red Sox would represent a chance to win a championship while allowing him to pitch close to family and friends. Only the latter half of that has worked out, and reflecting on what that's meant to him Wednesday produced some emotion as he pondered free agency this winter.
"It's been great,'' said Hill, choking up. "We have a finite amount of time to play this game, so...it's been great. The organization has been great to me, great to my family. ...I've loved pitching here. Unfortunately, the season hasn't gone the way that we wanted to, but hopefully, better things are ahead.''
He would welcome a return to the Red Sox, either for a full year or a half-season. That will play out organically over the coming months.
"He can pitch until whenever (he and his family) decide that he's done,'' said Cora. "His willingness to go out there and compete and not take one pitch for granted is what makes him special.''