GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Left-handed reliever Tim Hill’s unorthodox delivery is actually as natural as can be.
The White Sox’ submarine-style lefty isn’t someone who picked up a funky style somewhere along the path of a stalling
career because a more conventional delivery wasn’t working.
‘‘I’ve thrown like that since I could throw a baseball,’’ Hill, 34, said. ‘‘Forever. I mean, forever.’’
Forever is a long time. But Hill threw a ball that way as a child.
‘‘I can’t throw a baseball overhand,’’ he said.
Hill said his arm slot is actually around that of an average major-leaguer, but he needs to bend his torso — which feels natural to him — to throw with force.
‘‘My torso is bent; it’s just tilted like this,’’ he said, bending over at his side. ‘‘When I go to fire, throw a baseball hard, my torso bends. I found that out when they assessed it with the new equipment. I threw a bullpen [session] basically naked. They hook you up to all this stuff and told me, ‘Your arm slot is major-league average.’ I’m like, ‘That’s crazy.’ ’’
When Hill was a kid, someone hung a clothesline with a towel on it for him. It was intended to get him to throw overhand.
‘‘I would always hit the towel,’’ he said. ‘‘My dad was like: ‘Leave him alone. That’s how he wants to throw the ball.’ ’’
Father knows best.
In Hill’s case, a father who died of colon cancer when Hill was 17 and still is sorely missed. Nine years later, Hill was diagnosed with colon cancer during spring training of 2015. After having half his colon removed, he went through eight months of chemotherapy.
‘‘Kind of a crazy thing,’’ he said. ‘‘My dad dealing with the same thing and passing from it, it was tough for my mom and sisters. It makes you appreciate certain things and not take other things for granted.’’
Yearly exams, bloodwork and colonoscopies show Hill to have a clean bill of health as he enters his seventh season in the majors.
A late bloomer drafted by the Royals at 24 in the 32nd round out of Bacone College in Oklahoma, the 6-4 Hill has a 4.16 career ERA with the Royals and Padres, with whom he had a subpar season in 2023 (1-4, 5.48 ERA). He ranks sixth among left-handers with 320 appearances since 2018, including a career-high 78 with the Padres in 2021, when he finished second in the National League. Hill has limited lefties to a career .223/.302/.304 hitting line, in large part because of the horizontal movement on his pitches — fastballs included.
‘‘It’s no fun facing him with that delivery,’’ Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi said.
‘‘He’s funky,’’ said Sox manager Pedro Grifol, who was with the Royals’ coaching staff for Hill’s first two seasons in the majors. ‘‘There’s not many guys like that around that throw from those angles. He’s relentless. He can pitch every day, or he can warm up quick. Always wants the ball.’’
Hill, who signed a one-year, $1.8 million deal Dec. 28, had taken the ball four times in Cactus League games entering Tuesday, allowing two hits in four scoreless innings with a walk and no strikeouts.
‘‘Pretty happy with the way the ball is coming out,’’ said Hill, who throws a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a slider and an occasional cutter.
‘‘This year I have been working on the slider, which has been my worst pitch. I got good feedback in the live [batting practices].”
In the clubhouse, all is well, too.
‘‘Great; so far, so good,’’ Hill said. ‘‘Good group of guys in here. Everyone gets along. Really feeling like the vibe and culture is coming from up top. It’s been a really good work environment. That has stood out to me.’’
