Tampa Bay Rays: Rich Hill with epic meltdown in dugout

Life isn’t bad for Rich Hill right now. He is 6-2 with a mid-3 earned run average. He has struck out more batters than innings pitched. His team, the Tampa Bay Rays, entered his latest start 15 games over .500 while leading the Wild Card standings.

Hill is 41 years old for goodness sakes. I would say life is down right stellar for Hill at the moment.

Judging by his performance upon entering the dugout Tuesday night, Hill might disagree.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Rich Hill bat skills were better than his pitching skills on this night

First, there was the leadoff home run he issued to Kyle Schwarber. Have you been paying attention to how Schwarber is hitting lately? He has something like 16 home runs in 18 games played, seven of them coming in the first inning. No shame giving up a long ball to this guy, he is flat out raking lately.

Hill is averaging 1.2 home runs allowed per nine innings this year, right at what his career average has been over the 17 seasons he has been in the game.

After Trea Turner doubled, Hill surrendered a home run to Juan Soto. Soto may be slumping a little this year (.273 average entering the game, with just 8 home runs), though he is still the guy they call Childish Bambino. Frustrating for Hill, yes, but not out of the question for Soto to take him deep.

Hill would settle down and get out of the inning without further damage.

In the next inning however, Victor Robles teed off on Hill for his first home run of the year. This did not sit well with Hill.

As if he were yielding an axe, Hill chops at the lumber a couple times. Great effort, tremendous follow through, nice focus. The form is enough to make Paul Bunyan envious.

Next, he takes a left-handed swing. Who says pitchers shouldn’t bat? Was he trying to show Schwarber and Soto his swing is as good as theirs? Regardless, had he connected with a ball on that cut, his exit velocity would have been right up there with the guys he served up gopher balls to.

Finally, he jams the bat back in the bat box. To get the bat to stay, with that aggression. Flawless. How many times have we seen thrown helmets come back and hit the thrower? Bats careen around and hit somebody? The execution on this, top-notch.

Hill sticks the dismount with a classic “farmer’s blow”. Classy.

Turns out, Hill believes he was tipping his pitches. His all out assault on the bench was a better way to handle his aggression than trying to punch a hole in the pine, ahem Huascar Ynoa.

He may have gotten beat around some, but Rich Hill has earned his gold medal in dugout temper-tantrums.