Hill appeared in one game for the Cardinals in 1973, at the end of the season, going 0-3 while catching a full game, something he would end up doing until May of 1986.
Generally a back-up catcher his entire career, Hill would play for four teams, with all but three seasons split evenly between the San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox.
He’d play in 737 games, batting .223 with 404 hits over 1809 at-bats, while also playing a handful of games at first and third base over his time on a big league field.
Until I was putting this together, I never realized that his rookie card in the 1975, shared with three others including a young Expos stud named Gary Carter, was an airbrush job by Topps, as he appeared in 10 games with St. Louis the previous season before finding himself on the West Coast for the ‘75 campaign.
I’ve also read that among the hardest card in the 1970’s to find in true “mint” condition is his 1979 card, which is notorious for being off-center. Don’t know how true this is, but considering I’ve seen this stated in more than one place, I suppose it is.