Rich Hill of the Boston Red Sox threw his second career complete game shutout on Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles, but his sphincter had to be clinched pretty tightly in the ninth inning.
Hill had a hefty 7-0 lead, so the win wasn’t in question. But Chris Davis drove this ball to deep right center with two outs and Manny Machado on the second in the ninth inning, and the shutout looked just about gone.
Then, Mookie Betts happened in center, conjuring up memories of the bullpen cop from the 2013 ALCS against the Tigers.
What an incredible catch. The 35-year old Hill has made three starts for the Red Sox this season, pitching to a 1.17 ERA while striking out 30 and walking just two in 23 innings. He was a highly touted prospect with the Cubs back in the day, and is now pushing Boston towards the .500 mark – who would have ever imagined that?