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RICH HILL |
"THE FUTURE AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE"
Rich Hill throws a 2-hit shutout
September 25,
2015 ... Tonight
was a reminder that even a meaningless baseball game can have some
magic to it. The Red Sox had a 7-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles
and in his first career start at Fenway Park, Rich Hill had a two-hit
shutout.
With two
outs in the ninth inning, Mookie Betts raced back to the short wall in front of
the Red Sox bullpen, made a leaping catch, and was able to brace himself with
his right hand to keep from tumbling over the wall. Betts came back onto the
field and flung his glove up in the air, the ball safely inside.
Hill walked
one and struck out 10. The 35-year-old lefthander, who was out of baseball in
July, is one of the most improbable stories of the season. In three starts this
season, his only major league starts since 2009, Hill (2-0) has allowed three
runs on 10 hits over 23 innings. He has struck out 30 and walked two.
In Red Sox
history, only Hill and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez have recorded 10 or more
strikeouts with one or fewer walks in three consecutive starts. Pedro did it in
1999.
Hill’s only
other career shutout was on Sept. 16, 2006, when he was with the Chicago Cubs.
He had the same line in that game he had on Friday. It was the first shutout by
a Sox pitcher this season and the team’s first nine-inning shutout with two or
fewer hits since Jon Lester one-hit the Blue Jays on May 10, 2013.
Hill allowed
a leadoff single in the first inning then retired 16 straight. When Baltimore
put two runners on base in the sixth inning, Hill struck out Manny Machado to
end the inning.
David Ortiz
was 3 for 4 with three doubles and three RBIs as the Sox snapped a three-game
losing streak. Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 and is now hitting .325.
Baltimore
starter Kevin Gausman allowed five runs on five hits over five innings. Betts
drew a walk with two outs in the third inning and scored when Pedroia singled
and Bogaerts doubled. Pedroia was thrown out at the plate trying to score behind
Betts.
The Sox
scored three times in the sixth. Pedroia walked and Bogaerts singled before
Ortiz sent a double to right field. Pedroia scored and Bogaerts was right behind
him, nearly running into Pedroia at the plate. Ortiz later scored on a double by
Brock Holt.
Hill has
been with seven organizations during the last seven seasons, this being his
third stint with the Red Sox. He has been released or dropped off a roster
during the winter nearly too many times to count. Among the Red Sox, especially
the coaching staff and veteran players, Hill is immensely popular. Soft-spoken
and gracious, Hill has overcome several career setbacks and arm injuries. He
also returned to pitch in 2014 after the death of his infant son. |
