TOKYO -- Rich Hill lives in the moment. A veteran of nearly 400 Major League games, with trips to the injured list and stints in independent ball in between, he knows how fortunate he is to be able to put on a jersey and walk out onto the mound with the ball in his hand. Now 44 years old, Hill is representing Team USA for the first time in his career. Not only is it a rare time to be pulling off career firsts, but much of the roster is filled with young Minor League stars. Some, like Pirates second-base prospect Termarr Johnson, were born after the lanky left-hander was drafted.

The approach these days, though, is always the same regardless of the situation: Be in the moment. It's something he's tried to impress upon his younger colleagues.

"It's really just the consistency and the way you go about your work," Hill told MLB.com earlier in the week at the Premier12 super-round in Tokyo. "I think they've seen that side of me out there in the competitive arena and understand that, OK, every pitch does matter, every out does matter, because it could be your last. When you put it in that kind of perspective, it brings a lot of things to light and you start to see how important it is to bring that every time because it could be the last time that you do it."

It's these lessons that he's tried to instill in his teammates, who have been soaking up the chance to listen to the big league veteran.

"Just being with him on the plane rides, being with him during BP, before the game. It's so important, because he has so much wisdom," Johnson said. "He has so much knowledge. He's been in the game so long. I've had such a short time in pro baseball, so learning from him and asking questions has definitely been important to me, and I'm definitely grateful that he's been able to share his knowledge and wisdom."

Catcher Willie MacIver, currently a Minor League free agent, is also someone who has become close with Hill. MacIver has shadowed the starter and has found his own outlook on the game changed by the pitcher.

"Coming in, I didn't really know what to expect from Rich, because he's got all these accolades. He's such a big name. But we get in the locker room the first day, and he's blended in like one of the guys, which was really cool to see. He's really friendly, open to talk, and I was able to have some really good conversations with him and just kind of pick his brain," MacIver said. "The one thing that really stuck with me was how he approaches the game from pitch to pitch. It's like nothing else matters except for the pitch that's going on right now."

Hill's words may mean even more now: After helping send the USA to the super-round with a solid start in a must-win game against Mexico in the group stage, Hill matched young Japanese ace Hiroto Takahashi pitch-for-pitch for four shutout innings on Thursday night. Unfortunately, his effort and performance -- befuddling hitters with his array of mid-70s breaking balls -- wasn't enough: the United States lost, 9-1, and then dropped Friday's contest to Chinese Taipei in another blowout. It was the USA's first loss to the team since 2003. There remains the slimmest of chances that America, Venezuela, and Chinese Taipei could all finish in a three-way tie for second place, but America would need a tiebreaker to go their way -- something that will be awfully difficult given the scoreline of the past two days. That means the rest of the tournament will be a matter of effort, pride, and belief in taking things one pitch at a time.

It's something that USA manager Mike Scioscia reiterated after the loss on Friday. This will be a learning opportunity for the young players on the team, who must learn that the game is about focusing -- and then winning -- on that first pitch.

"Over the course of their careers, you're going to have some games that are really tough, and you've got to turn the page. Sometimes that page gets heavy," Scioscia said. "We've got to play well. The first two games here, that's in the past. Look forward to coming out here, winning the first pitch of that game. That's the best way to approach not only this tournament, but a season in the Major Leagues."

Not all of Hill's baseball lessons come from his own career. This spring, he opted not to sign any of the three big league offers he received, choosing to instead coach his son Brice's Little League team in Milton, Mass. (He would later join the Red Sox that summer.) Not only did he get to spend time with his son out on the ballfield, away from the lights and attention of 30,000 screaming fans, but it reminded him of what makes this game so enjoyable.

"It's really the moment. It's watching these guys in the tournament that they played in Cooperstown and understanding how important those games were down," Hill said. "Just the overall effort that they were giving and making sure that they removed themselves from the results. That was really the biggest thing and that is transferable from whatever level you play at, whether it's in the big leagues or all the way down to Little League. You're trying to instill that competitive consistency and that competitive enjoyment when you're out there, because that's really where the joy comes from."

His family has come with him on the worldwide tour, joining him for the group stage in Mexico before tagging along in Japan, too. Hill knows that the experience will mean so much more for his son than just whatever the wins and losses look like when it's all over.

"We've had tremendous experiences all the way throughout this game of baseball. Being able to have that opportunity [together], to have that vehicle to go throughout the world, has been quite an experience," Hill said. "That's one of the great things about the locker room: People are from all over the world, and we all come together and speak the same language on the baseball field, so we have that same level of respect. Getting that culture and being able to see that there's many good people out there in the world for him to experience that is pretty special."

Team USA may not be able to win the gold medal at the Premier12, the original goal for every player, coach and competitor on the trip. But Hill knows that the game is about more than that: It's about leaving every last piece of yourself out on that field.

"You can put your head on the pillow at night knowing that you did everything you could to be successful," Hill said. "That's something I've tried to pass on and hopefully it will resonate with some of the guys here."