Red Sox: Rich Hill pitched on Marathon Monday in honor of late father

Boston Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill opened Monday’s game in honor of his late father who had a long history of running the Boston Marathon.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill stepped on the mound on Patriots Day, a Massachusetts holiday held in conjunction with the annual Boston Marathon. He pitched in honor of his late father, Lloyd Hill Sr., who passed away just days prior. Hill Sr. ran the Boston Marathon 37 consecutive times.

Though the Red Sox faced an 8-3 loss against the Minnesota Twins, the game was one of the most special ones to Hill. This was his first starting game since 2015, and he used the memory of his dad as motivation, via MLB.com.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a long week. It was a tough weekend. But the job is to be a professional and show up. No matter what circumstances there are outside of the clubhouse, or outside of the lines, you show up and you’re a pro. That’s something that I learned from my dad,” Hill said.

He appeared to be disappointed in his performance on Monday, but he expressed his emotions professionally and in a sentimental way.

Hill, holding back tears, talks about his pitching on Monday and his late father in an interview posted by NESN on Twitter.

Rich Hill received outpouring of love and support from Red Sox teammates

Though Hill didn’t pitch as well as he would’ve liked, his teammates still gave him an immense amount of love and support for his efforts. Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers shared some thoughtful and sentimental words after the game, via MLB.com.

“Of course, we feel sad for him. He’s a really good competitor and he did a tremendous job out there today. We feel really proud of him and the way he pitched today,” Devers said.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who is known to be a man of few words, also shared similar sympathy for him.

“I can’t even imagine the emotions and the feelings and everything. I told him we’re very proud of him. We’re family; we’re here for him,” Cora said via the Boston Globe.

Hill played a difficult game and took the perfect opportunity to honor his father, and he was shown complete selflessness and support by his teammates.