Rich Hill dominates in improbable start for Red Sox

Don’t call it a comeback, Rich Hill’s been here for years. Just not as a starter.

Before taking the ball for the Boston Red Sox on Sunday when they battled the Tampa Bay Rays, Hill hadn’t started a major-league game since 2009. It’s not like Hill completely disappeared though. In the six years between starts, he pitched 75 2/3 innings across 119 games out of the bullpen, but was hampered by shoulder and elbow problems.

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It seemed like the 35-year-old left-hander had reached the end of his road as reliever when he was released from a minor-league deal with the Washington Nationals in late June. With nothing to lose, Hill took one last stab at being a starting pitcher. He made two starts with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League in August and looked so good that the pitching-needy Red Sox, a team Hill was already very familiar with having played there between 2010-2012, came calling.

After five starts with Triple-A Pawtucket, the big club tabbed Hill for a start in the big leagues. What a decision that turned out to be.

Hill hurled seven shutout innings Sunday, using a low-90s fastball and a 12-6 curveball to fool Rays hitters all afternoon long. He struck out 10 batters, and while he didn’t factor into the decision, the Red Sox went on to win 2-0 in 13 innings.

Considering how well Hill pitched and how far he had to come to even make it happen, acting manager Torey Lovullo couldn’t have been more impressed. From the Boston Globe:

“It’s a great story,” Lovullo said. “You could see all the hard work he put in. Everything he did behind the scenes paid off. Everytime he needed a big pitch, he made it.”

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Hill’s great story is expected to get two more starts this year. What comes after that is far from guaranteed, but Hill’s doing all that he can to put himself in a position to pitch somewhere in the majors next season. Just two months ago that would have seemed absurd.

Baseball really is the best.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr