Rich Hill makes 1st MLB start in 6 years, fans 10 in Red Sox victory

Baseball can be unpredictable.

On Sunday, the pitching matchup between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays didn't draw much attention as Drew Smyly took his 3.59 ERA to the mound to duel with Rich Hill.

It was Hill's first major-league start in six years, but he certainly didn't look rusty. The left-hander pitched seven innings in a near-flawless outing, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 10 in Boston's 2-0 win in 13 innings.

"Commanded my breaking ball the way I wanted to, and that enhanced the fastball, so I got a lot of swings and misses with the fastball from the good command with the curveball," Hill told reporters. "The bullpen was immaculate and fielding was great, and Sandy (Leon) was great behind the dish. It was a good team win."

Smyly was also dominant for the Rays, striking out 11 hitters of his own, but things just didn't pan out the way he would have liked in extras.

"Obviously, well-pitched game on both sides," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We came up on the short end of it there in the end, but our pitchers were outstanding."

It was the first 10-plus strikeout performance for Hill since 2007 when he did it twice as a member of the Chicago Cubs.

RICH HILL'S 10+ STRIKEOUT GAMES

Boston has won seven of its last 10 games and moved within 6 1/2 games of a wild-card spot in the American League.