BOSTON — Rich Hill was almost emotionless as he walked off the mound, having just recorded another strikeout to end the seventh inning. A standing ovation surrounded him at Fenway Park, high-fives and hugs awaited him in the dugout.
Hill had been there before, but not in a while.
On a day the Red Sox needed even just a satisfactory effort, the 42-year-old Hill turned back the clock and delivered a vintage performance. Behind seven shutout innings and a season-high 11 strikeouts, Hill dominated and led the Red Sox to a 5-1 victory over the Rays with his best start of the season and one that the 18-year veteran will surely remember for a long time.
The Red Sox maybe didn’t expect this kind of effort — manager Alex Cora hoped for five or six innings from Hill before the game — and the lefty did him one better. With a depleted bullpen already taxed, Hill’s performance became that much more important.
The Rays loaded up their lineup with all right-handed hitters against the left-handed Hill, but it didn’t matter. He carved through their order with ease as he filled up the strike zone, daring the Rays to hit his 90-mph fastball and figure out his six-pitch mix. In three turns through the order, they couldn’t.
Hill never faced real trouble as he operated at a lightning-quick pace. After three perfect innings to start the game, Randy Arozarena finally reached on a one-out infield single, and he was ultimately the only runner Hill allowed to advance to scoring position all afternoon. He gave up three hits on the day and just one walk as his command continued to be sharp since returning from the injured list earlier this month.
After getting through six innings on 78 pitches, Hill recorded an out in the seventh for the first time this season — and he proceeded to strike out the side, capping his day with a punchout of Yu Chang on just three pitches and looking at a sinker. It’s the first time he recorded double-digit strikeouts since getting 13 against the Royals last May.
