Rangers History Today: Hill's Four-Hit Gem
On this date in Texas Rangers history, pitcher Ken Hill threw a complete-game gem in leading the Texas Rangers to a 10-0 win over the Kansas City Royals at The Ballpark in Arlington.
The contest came on May 14, 1996, when Hill threw a four-hitter while striking out five and walking three. The win pushed Hill’s record to that point to 5-3 for the season.
Hill came to the Rangers before the 1996 season, having bounced between St. Louis and Montreal for eight years, which included an All-Star season with the Expos in the strike-shortened 1994 season. In 1995, Hill found himself dealt from St. Louis to Cleveland, as he helped the franchise to the World Series.
So, Hill was looking for a new home when he signed with the Rangers as a free agent. The hope was steadiness, and in 1996, Hill was a rock-solid part of the Rangers’ starting rotation, as he went 16-10 with a 3.63 ERA. His shutout of the Royals was one of his Major League-leading three shutouts for the season. The Rangers won the American League West for the first time.
But Hill’s time in Texas remained short-lived. He started 1997 with the Rangers, going 5-8. But the Rangers dealt him to Anaheim for Jim Leyritz, and an injury from earlier that season slowed down his career. He went 9-6 with Anaheim in 1998, but never had a winning season after that. For his MLB career, Hill went 117-109.
Fans of another generation know him as the father of collegiate quarterback Kenny Hill, who started his career at Texas A&M and ended it at TCU.
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