After completing a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Los Angeles Dodgers continued their homestand with a four-game series against the New York Mets. It marked the second time in as many weeks the teams faced each other, with L.A. previously winning three in a row against New York at Citi Field.
The Mets’ trip to Dodger Stadium gave Rich Hill a chance to return to his former home ballpark for the first time since departing the Dodgers as a free agent after the 2019 season. He began the year with the Tampa Bay Rays but was traded to the Mets last month, making the visit possible.
The left-hander spent parts of four years with the organization from 2016-19, compiling a 30-16 record, 3.16 ERA, 3.71 FIP and 1.08 WHIP in 361.1 innings across 69 games.
Appreciative of the contributions he made, the Dodgers gave Hill a tribute video prior to first pitch on Thursday. At the conclusion of the montage, he received a nice ovation from the Dodger Stadium faithful, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:
A warm reception and tribute video for Rich Hill at Dodger Stadium. pic.twitter.com/t97MXH6usD
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 20, 2021
With the Mets dropping the first two games of the series, Hill looked to play stopper in Saturday’s contest against the Dodgers. He spent the past couple days catching up with former teammates, including Clayton Kershaw during batting practice.
Dodgers embraced facing Hill
During a pregame interview on SportsNet LA, Walker Buehler joked the Dodgers would attempt to frazzle Hill by getting hits against the shift.
Meanwhile, manager Dave Roberts enjoyed reuniting with Hill over the past week but of course was putting fond memories aside in pursuit of a win.
“I saw him in New York for a day, talked to him, chatted him up. First day in here, said hello quickly,” Roberts said. “He’s going to be ready to pitch and bring that energy. I expect our guys to match it and I’m expecting to beat him.”
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