SUMMARY
- While 'The Hill' depicts Rickey Hill confidently approaching Murff in the stands to discuss the tryout, the real Rickey took a more unconventional path.
- In the film, Red Murff is portrayed as an intimidating character, effectively played by Scott Glenn.
Sometimes a movie hits the audience right in the feels, and that’s exactly what happened with Jeff Celentano’s ‘The Hill.’ Even though critics had mixed reviews, the film, making over $7 million, found a new life on Netflix, shooting up the charts.
As the opening credits roll, one of the first phrases on the screen reads, “Based on a true story.” While the film has cinematic elements to enhance the storytelling, a significant portion of Rickey Hill‘s journey remains deeply rooted in reality. The question on everyone’s mind: How closely does the cinematic masterpiece mirror the extraordinary life of the real-life baseball legend?
The film starts by showing a child in leg braces, hurling stones with a stick to incredible distances. Rickey Hill’s health struggles, portrayed in the film, reflect the truth of his life – born with a degenerative disease and raised in a financially unstable household. However, there is one detail that the film left out, which zeroes in on the burning fire that the real Rickey had for baseball.
How did the real Rickey secure his tryouts?
In The Hill, Rickey akin to his real-life counterpart went 11 for 11 in the tryout and overcame a hard blow from a pitched ball. His excellence at that moment finally earned him a spot in the Expos’ minor league farm system. But how did get to do the tryout in the first place? In the film, Rickey confidently approaches Murff in the stands to talk about the tryout.
However, in reality, Rickey took a more unconventional path, scaling a 10-foot wall to gain entry into the stadium where he wasn’t allowed in and bulldozered his way to Murff who was on the pitcher’s mound. Hill tapped him on the shoulder and, as recounted on the Baseball Together Podcast, said, “I said, ‘Red, my name’s Rickey Hill. And I just wanted to let you know before I leave this camp that it’s a shame you’re never gonna get to see the best hitter in this camp.”
He repeated what Murff said to him, “Ya know, if your bat is in tune with your tongue, you’re a hell of a hitter. So you honestly believe you’re the best hitter here?’ And I said, ‘No sir, I don’t. I know I am.’ Well, that just really got him.” And this is how he eventually got his tryout.
It is also to be noted that Red Murff, a former MLB player, and acclaimed scout credited with discovering the pitching talent of Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, possessed a presence far more formidable in person. While Scott Glenn effectively portrays the intimidating character in the film, the actual encounter with Rickey Hill left one feeling dwarfed.
In contrast to ‘The Hill’ Rickey Hill’s father never saw him play baseball
Unlike the storyline in ‘The Hill,’ Rickey Hill’s father never saw him play baseball – an admission the baseball phenom laid bare himself. The film, however, shows a scene absent from reality in a beautiful resolution.
In a cinematic moment, following the pitch that hit him in the ribs, Rickey sent a final home run flying that was witnessed by his on-screen father for the first time. In reality, although his father wasn’t present at the games. Rickey shared that after each game, his father would come into the room and would often discuss his performance and make sure he was okay.
