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Marc" The Booter" hill Passes at 73


JoshPR

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Sorry to hear this Booter was a great interview and had a bunch of stories when I spoke with him. Another one of the 1983 team gone now.

And he did actually score from 2nd base on a sacrifice fly. (No...I'm not kidding):

May 15, 1983 – You certainly don’t see this every day. In the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium with the Sox leading 5-1 pinch hitter Greg Walker sent a George Frazier pitch into the deepest part of the ballpark.

Center fielder Jerry Mumphrey ran a long way and made the catch but his momentum was taking him away from the infield. Mike Squires scored easily from third base but catcher Marc Hill standing on second, kept right on going and beat the throw home with a slide. Walker got credit for two RBI’s on a single sacrifice fly! The Sox would go on to win the game 7-3.

Here are some of his stories to me:

ML: One of your personal highlights that season came on May 15 at Yankee Stadium, You went 3 for 5 with three RBI's and two runs scored, one of them coming on a sacrifice fly....when you were on second base! How in the hell did you pull that one off? 

MH: "I don't know either! (laughing). Seriously Greg Walker hit a deep, deep drive into center field that was caught. I got a good read and was tagging up when I picked up Jimmy Leyland, our third base coach about halfway to the base. Jimmy was halfway down the line towards home plate and he kept waving me around. I made it home by hook sliding to get in. Afterwards I was really proud when Jim was telling the media that he decided to wave me home because, "he ran the bases the right way." That's what I tried to do for the team; little things that help win games. 

MH: "Oh man, I remember one with Roland Hemond. He and I were talking during batting practice at Comiskey Park by third base. Fans forget that I played third and first at times for the Sox so I worked out there too. "Bull" Luzinski was in the cage and I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was going to pull some shots down the line. "

"Sure enough he hits a line shot that's headed right for Roland's head. I stick my glove out and catch it right before it hit him. Roland jumped in my arms! I carried him off the field and sat him down in our dugout! Everybody was laughing about it...Roland was the greatest G.M. I ever played for."

"Another story was when I was only 20 or so playing for the Cardinals. It was in spring training. I was catching Bob Gibson. I think it was in the 5th inning, I give the sign for a fastball and Bob shakes me off. I thought, 'we'll he's just doing that because he wants to screw up the hitter' so I give the fastball sign again. Bob shakes me off then motions me to come out to the mound. I run out there...Joe Torre comes out there too, it's just the three of us."

"Bob looks at me and says, “Son, I know you don't know this yet but my slider's almost as good as my fastball.”

"So I go back behind the plate and call for the slider.....and Bob shakes me off! (laughing) He wanted the fastball!"

"After the game I went up to him and asked why after he told me about his slider, he shook me off again. Bob said “hell everybody in the ballpark knew why I called you out there and that the slider was coming!” (laughing)


 

 

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1 hour ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Sorry to hear this Booter was a great interview and had a bunch of stories when I spoke with him. Another one of the 1983 team gone now.

And he did actually score from 2nd base on a sacrifice fly. (No...I'm not kidding):

May 15, 1983 – You certainly don’t see this every day. In the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium with the Sox leading 5-1 pinch hitter Greg Walker sent a George Frazier pitch into the deepest part of the ballpark.

Center fielder Jerry Mumphrey ran a long way and made the catch but his momentum was taking him away from the infield. Mike Squires scored easily from third base but catcher Marc Hill standing on second, kept right on going and beat the throw home with a slide. Walker got credit for two RBI’s on a single sacrifice fly! The Sox would go on to win the game 7-3.

Here are some of his stories to me:

ML: One of your personal highlights that season came on May 15 at Yankee Stadium, You went 3 for 5 with three RBI's and two runs scored, one of them coming on a sacrifice fly....when you were on second base! How in the hell did you pull that one off? 

MH: "I don't know either! (laughing). Seriously Greg Walker hit a deep, deep drive into center field that was caught. I got a good read and was tagging up when I picked up Jimmy Leyland, our third base coach about halfway to the base. Jimmy was halfway down the line towards home plate and he kept waving me around. I made it home by hook sliding to get in. Afterwards I was really proud when Jim was telling the media that he decided to wave me home because, "he ran the bases the right way." That's what I tried to do for the team; little things that help win games. 

MH: "Oh man, I remember one with Roland Hemond. He and I were talking during batting practice at Comiskey Park by third base. Fans forget that I played third and first at times for the Sox so I worked out there too. "Bull" Luzinski was in the cage and I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was going to pull some shots down the line. "

"Sure enough he hits a line shot that's headed right for Roland's head. I stick my glove out and catch it right before it hit him. Roland jumped in my arms! I carried him off the field and sat him down in our dugout! Everybody was laughing about it...Roland was the greatest G.M. I ever played for."

"Another story was when I was only 20 or so playing for the Cardinals. It was in spring training. I was catching Bob Gibson. I think it was in the 5th inning, I give the sign for a fastball and Bob shakes me off. I thought, 'we'll he's just doing that because he wants to screw up the hitter' so I give the fastball sign again. Bob shakes me off then motions me to come out to the mound. I run out there...Joe Torre comes out there too, it's just the three of us."

"Bob looks at me and says, “Son, I know you don't know this yet but my slider's almost as good as my fastball.”

"So I go back behind the plate and call for the slider.....and Bob shakes me off! (laughing) He wanted the fastball!"

"After the game I went up to him and asked why after he told me about his slider, he shook me off again. Bob said “hell everybody in the ballpark knew why I called you out there and that the slider was coming!” (laughing)


 

 

That's incredible. Love the insight. The Bob Gibson story is so funny, it just adds to his legend. Fun insight into "Jimmy" Leyland too. I'd be lying if I said I knew anything about Marc Hill except that he played for the '83 team -- what a cool team and now I know a little bit about the backup catcher's personality. This post makes it that much more personal. I'm sorry that we have lost him at a fairly young age.

PS: I really like those "this day in White Sox history" posts, but we haven't seen one in a while...no pressure.

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11 hours ago, nrockway said:

That's incredible. Love the insight. The Bob Gibson story is so funny, it just adds to his legend. Fun insight into "Jimmy" Leyland too. I'd be lying if I said I knew anything about Marc Hill except that he played for the '83 team -- what a cool team and now I know a little bit about the backup catcher's personality. This post makes it that much more personal. I'm sorry that we have lost him at a fairly young age.

PS: I really like those "this day in White Sox history" posts, but we haven't seen one in a while...no pressure.

I'll start those again on January 1, 2026. 

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