Glenallen Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Glenallen Hill |
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Hill in 2008
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: March 22, 1965 Santa Cruz, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| July 31, 1989, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| May 31, 2001, for the Anaheim Angels | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .271 | ||
| Home runs | 186 | ||
| Runs batted in | 586 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As coach
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Glenallen Hill (born March 22, 1965) is a former American professional baseball player. He was an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 13 seasons. Hill played for several teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Anaheim Angels.
He was known for hitting powerful home runs. In 2000, he won the World Series with the New York Yankees. Sometimes, he was called The Juggler because he occasionally struggled with catching the ball.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Glenallen Hill was born in Santa Cruz, California. His mother worked at a hospital, and his father worked as a truck driver.
He went to Santa Cruz High School and graduated in 1983. Glenallen was a talented athlete, playing three different sports. He was offered scholarships to play both baseball and football at Arizona State University.
However, the Toronto Blue Jays drafted him in the ninth round of the 1983 Major League Baseball draft. This meant he could start his professional baseball career right away.
Playing Career Highlights
Toronto Blue Jays (1989–1991)
Glenallen Hill made his first appearance in Major League Baseball on July 31, 1989. He played for the Toronto Blue Jays. In his first game, he got his first hit and helped a teammate score a run. That year, he hit his first career home run.
In 1990, he played in 84 games, hitting 12 home runs. He stayed with the Blue Jays until June 1991, when he was traded to the Cleveland Indians.
Cleveland Indians (1991–1993)
For the Indians in 1991, Hill played in 37 games. In 1992, he had his best season yet, hitting 18 home runs and helping 49 teammates score runs.
During his time with the Indians, something unusual happened. In one game, there was a long delay in the outfield. While everyone was distracted, Hill moved from first base to second base without anyone noticing. He was given a "stolen base" even though no one saw him actually steal it!
Chicago Cubs (1993–1994)
Hill joined the Chicago Cubs in August 1993. He played well, hitting .345 (meaning he got a hit in 34.5% of his turns at bat) and driving in 22 runs. In 1994, he hit 10 home runs before the season ended early due to a player strike.
San Francisco Giants (1995–1997)
In 1995, Hill signed with the San Francisco Giants. This was special for him because he grew up near San Francisco. He had a great year, hitting 24 home runs and helping 86 teammates score. He also stole 25 bases, which was his career high.
In 1997, Glenallen Hill made history. He was the first player from the National League to play as a designated hitter in a regular season game. This happened during the first-ever interleague play game, where teams from different leagues played each other. He also played in his first postseason game that year.
While with the Giants, Hill often met with fans and signed autographs in his hometown community.
Seattle Mariners (1998)
Hill played for the Seattle Mariners in 1998. He hit 12 home runs and had a good batting average of .290. Later that season, he returned to the Chicago Cubs.
Return to Chicago Cubs (1998–2000)
Back with the Cubs, Hill continued to hit well. In 1999, he hit 20 home runs. On April 29, 2000, he became the first player ever to hit a home run against all 30 MLB teams!
Another amazing moment happened on May 11, 2000. Hill hit a home run that landed on a residential building across the street from Wrigley Field. He is the only player to have ever done this!
New York Yankees (2000)
In July 2000, Hill was traded to the New York Yankees. He mostly played as a designated hitter. He hit 16 home runs for the Yankees and joined them for the postseason.
He played in the playoffs and the 2000 World Series. Even though he didn't get many hits in the World Series, the Yankees won! Glenallen Hill earned a World Series ring when the Yankees defeated the New York Mets in five games.
Anaheim Angels (2001)
Hill's final season was with the Anaheim Angels in 2001. He played in 16 games before retiring after the season.
Over his 13-year career, Glenallen Hill played in 1,162 games. He had a batting average of .271, hit 186 home runs, and helped 586 teammates score runs.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Glenallen Hill became a coach. In 2003, he started coaching in the Colorado Rockies' minor league system. By 2007, he became the first base coach for the main Colorado Rockies team.
In 2007, a minor league coach named Mike Coolbaugh was sadly injured by a batted ball. After this, Hill started wearing a helmet while coaching first base to protect himself. He strongly believed that all base coaches should wear helmets. Because of his efforts, Major League Baseball made a rule in 2008 requiring all professional baseball base coaches to wear helmets. This was a big step for player safety!
Hill also managed minor league teams, including the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and the Albuquerque Isotopes.
Personal Life
In 1990, Glenallen Hill had a strange incident. He was put on the injured list after getting minor cuts and scrapes during a sleepwalking episode. He had a bad dream and accidentally walked into some furniture. His teammates jokingly started calling him "Spiderman" after this.
Years later, in 2017, to show he wasn't afraid of spiders, he let a large tarantula crawl on his arm during a team event. A photo of this was even used on a baseball card!
Glenallen Hill is married to Lori Hill and they have two children. His son, Glenallen Jr., was also drafted by a Major League Baseball team in 2019.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report
