Pittsburgh Pirates: What to Make of Rich Hill's First Start

The Pittsburgh Pirates brought Rich Hill on a very rich deal for a 43-year-old. The veteran left-handed pitcher picked up a 1-year deal worth $8 million from the Pirates this past offseason. The team took some negative heat for the deal, with complaints about them handing out that large of a sum of money to a 43-year-old.

Well in his first start, Hill showed why the Bucs were so willing to bring in the veteran lefty. Hill started Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds, a game that did not look promising for Hill at first. It was a tough first inning with the lefty giving up a solo shot to Jonathan India then later in the inning he gave up a 2-run shot to Kevin Newman.

It was a quick three runs for the Reds. Anyone who said they did not immediately start to doubt Hill is probably lying. His fastball was in the upper 80s and he was giving up bombs. But Hill settled down nicely, which is probably one of the many reasons he is still pitching.

Many pitchers, especially the lesser experienced ones would likely unravel after a start to a game like that. Heck, back in 2019 we saw this happen to Mitch Keller in his debut in Cincinnati. That is one of the many reasons why Hill was signed by the Bucs.

So what questions should fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates still have about starter Rich Hill?