Hill: 'The goal is a championship and that's it'

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- At 42 years old, Rich Hill has experienced just about everything a baseball player can go through.

There were the early years, when he was a promising lefty starter for the Cubs.

Then there were the injuries, the move to the bullpen and more injuries.

And then, when all seemed lost for Hill after he had been released by the Nationals in 2015, the Red Sox scouted him with the Independent League Long Island Ducks later that summer and brought him back as a starter. He dominated in that role that September.

That was the kickoff of Hill’s impressive late-career resurgence, which is lacking just one thing. That one thing is the ring.

Back for another tour of duty with his hometown Red Sox, Hill’s fire burns deep to win a World Series.

That is what is at the forefront of his mind rather than what role he will pitch in this season.

“Just to help. Just to be of service and do whatever I can to help,” said Hill after firing two scoreless innings in his first start of Spring Training on Tuesday.

“The goal is a championship at the end of the year and that’s it,” said Hill. “However anybody can contribute, however big or however small the role is, it’s important. To have that mindset, first of all, put the team before yourself, is what it’s all about. Whatever role it is they decide to put me in, I’m here to pitch, that’s it, and help the younger guys.”

Hill has already made an impression in the clubhouse.

“I mean shoot, I hope I look that good at 42,” said righty Garrett Whitlock. “I mean jeez, he’s a legend walking. It’s really neat to be able to be around him, soak up his knowledge, learn from his wisdom that he has and just be around him.”

Though Hill looks primed to start the season in the rotation, there’s a chance he could move to the bullpen at some point. Or maybe he will go back and forth.

While every player craves a World Series title, the quest is amplified even more for Hill given his age and the fact his Dodgers’ squad came up short in back-to-back Fall Classics in 2017 and ’18.

And winning it with the Red Sox, the team he grew up rooting for during his youth in Milton, Mass., would be truly storybook.

“Going to the postseason, going to the World Series, coming so close and almost having the opportunity to raise the trophy, once you get in there and you experience it, that’s the only thing that you think about,” said Hill.

Whitlock’s role? Unclear
The only thing manager Alex Cora can say for certain about Whitlock at this point of Spring Training is that he’s going to be asked to get important outs.

Will it be as a starter? Could it be as a multi-inning reliever like he was last season? Might Whitlock win the closer’s job?

The righty pitched two scoreless innings, working around three hits and two walks. The Red Sox are stretching him out in case he is needed as a starter.

“I love the routine as a starter, but at the same time, I love the workhorse mentality of a reliever, too,” said Whitlock. “I know that’s a cliché answer and that’s not what you all probably want to hear. That’s genuinely what it is.”

Reading between the lines, it seems more likely Whitlock will start the season in the bullpen.

“I don't think you guys know if he's going to be a good starter or not. Everybody's saying he should be a starter. How do we know that? The one thing we know is that he went multiple innings and he was really good last year,” Cora said. “He’s built as a starter, he's done it before but this is uncharted waters, right? He was hurt a few years ago. So we have to be smart.”

Barnes ‘happy’ with debut
Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes, who is trying to win back the closer’s job he lost last August, kicked off his Grapefruit League season with a 1-2-3 inning against the Rays.

“Felt pretty good today,” said Barnes. “Obviously first game, felt good out there. Mechanically I have a couple of things to work on. I felt like I was rushing a little bit on some stuff. Not completely behind the baseball and driving it through, but it felt good coming out of my hand in terms of spin and ride and how we want it to feel.

“Curveball had some good break on it on a few that I threw, and I was happy with the changeups today, so it’s a good step one. I always have stuff that we’re going to continue to work on and keep moving forward, but I’m happy with the way that one went.”