Entering the 2023 season, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Rich Hill opened the season as the oldest player in the MLB at 43 years old. The 19-year professional has continued to show that he can compete at the MLB level, posting a 3-3 record with a 4.35 ERA and 36 strikeouts this season.
While the veteran pitcher has continued to defy his injury history and age, his biggest moment of strength came in 2014 with his nurse wife Caitlin Hill. The couple, who dated long before their 2007 wedding, had to endure one of the worst nightmares for any parent: the loss of a child.
Trending
"Caitlin and Rich Hill have launched an awesome 'Field of Genes' campaign to honor their late son Brooks and support the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children. Learn all about it:" - @DodgerBlue1958
Rich and Caitlin welcomed their second son Brooks was born just after Christmas in 2013. However, it was not long after his birth that the couple was told by their doctors that Brooks was suffering from lissencephaly and congenital nephrotic syndrome, which ultimately took his life in February 2014.
In 2019, as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Rich Hill wrote a piece for the Player's Tribune, sharing the emotionally devastating journey that he and his wife had to live through during that period. Unfortunately for Brooks, the issues that were plaguing him had only occurred in 50 people ever, he passed away only two months after entering the world.
Caitlin and Rich Hill created the campaign Field of Genes to honor their son Brooks
On the five-year anniversary of the passing of Brooks, the Hill family started the Field of Genes campaign to help raise money for Dr. David Sweetser, who helped the couple the entire time with Brooks. The campaign will not only help fund his research but also help raise awareness and provide support to families going through similar tragic situations.
"Any time we cover Rich Hill, I’m reminded not just of his baseball journey but the family’s loss of their son, Brooks. Rich & his wife took the heartache and created Field of Genes to help other families. Visit" - @MelanieLynneN
The current Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher and his wife continue to raise awareness and support families who are going through a similar situation. While they can never get their son back, they hope they can help prevent others from enduring the pain that they went through.
