A fun, but random Cubs connection to each of the teams in the ALCS, NLCS

Nearly 20 years ago, left-hander Rich Hill first set foot on an MLB mound for the first time, taking the ball for the Chicago Cubs in a 15-5 loss to the then-Florida Marlins at Wrigley Field. That appearance started a two-decade career that saw Hill suit up for 13 different teams - including each of the four remaining teams left standing in the postseason.

Hill pitched just one season with Cleveland, back in 2013, making a career-high 63 relief appearances and struggling badly. He worked to a 6.28 ERA, as control issues continued to plague the left-hander, with his future in Major League Baseball looking murky, at best.

That season served as one of the bookends on the first chapter of Hill's big-league career because the very next year, he showed signs of life out of the Yankees' bullpen, making 14 appearances and working to a 1.69 ERA. From there, he made the jump back to the rotation and kicked off a career renaissance in the back half of his 30s - which featured stops in Los Angeles and Queens.

Hill pitched with the Dodgers from 2016 to 2019, spending more time there during his career than with any team other than the Red Sox. It was with Los Angeles he returned to the postseason for the first time since 2007 as a member of the Cubs, punching his October ticket every single year with the team.

He came up short in that quest for a World Series ring - and he fared no better as a member of the Mets in the back half of 2021, coming over via trade from Tampa Bay at the deadline. He made a dozen starts for New York and added in a lone relief appearance, but the Mets went 29-45 in the second half, erasing all hopes of punching their postseason ticket.

Hill was never an All-Star and after just four late-season appearances with Boston this year at age-44 (he turns 45 in March), this could very well be the end for the Cubs' fourth-round pick back in 2002. If it is, he's certainly had an unforgettable ride - and one that won't soon be forgotten.