Rich Hill had just met his newest teammate a few moments before when he was reminded of a most unusual reality.
He was more than twice the age of the player he just introduced himself to.
"It’s a good call," Hill told WEEI.com in a phone interview Tuesday. "I didn’t even think of that. ... Thanks for reminding me."
That's right. At this writing, Wander Franco -- who managed a three-run homer run against the Red Sox in his major league debut a few hours after the Hill introduction -- is 20 years, 114 days old. Wednesday night's Tampa Bay starter? He has been on the planet for 41 years and 104 days.
For the record, Hill is currently the second-oldest active player in the major leagues, behind the Dodgers Albert Pujols. But there are no two teammates with a wider age-differential than the one the Rays' duo now share.
Rays' shortstop Taylor Walls telling Hill his father was just four years older than the pitcher was one thing. Playing with someone more than half your age hits a bit different.
But, in typical Rich Hill fashion, he views the dynamic as a unique opportunity, allowing him to pass down the lessons learned since he lived life as a 20-year-old on the campus of the University of Michigan.
"I always like being around younger guys," Hill said. "It doesn’t matter, whether you’re just being there for guys for support and understanding it’s a hard game and everybody is going to handle it differently mentally.
"My advice would be to just prioritize the patience factor and putting in the work. Doing the work every single day and not getting caught up in anything else."
Could the pitcher imagine 20-year-old Rich Hill living the life Franco has been thrust into?
"No. Definitely. I was in college and I didn’t know anything about … I’m glad that I signed to go to college instead of going to pro ball," he said. "I was definitely not ready to go to pro ball. You grow up fast in pro ball, let alone the big leagues. You grow up fast because of the environment and living on your own. Everything is judged off of your performance. I think the one thing is being ready to work every single day and knowing that you are playing where you are. If you’re in A ball, you’re in A ball. You can’t be wishing that you should be in Double A, Triple A or the big leagues. You are where you are and it is what it is. It’s very cliche, but you are where you are is something I have been able to pick up and keep that same intensity, whether it’s backfield game, regular season game, or World Series game, so you’re the same guy every single time. The more times you do that, the more you practice it, the more consistent you’re going to be when you get out there. That’s what I would tell myself."