The Boston Red Sox took home a division-series win, picking up their second-consecutive victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, 5-1, at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox improve to 62-65, while the Rays fall to 69-57.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Red Sox starter Rich Hill apparently had places to be on Saturday.
The 42-year-old worked at a dizzying pace, mowing through a Rays lineup that was specifically engineered to throw him off his game. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash started eight right-handed hitters and one switch-hitter to face the left-handed Hill. Unfortunately for fans of the Rays, it didn’t work.
Hill retired 21 of the 25 batters he faced, throwing a first-pitch strike to 17 of them. The Milton, Mass native finished his seven-scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts, throwing 71 of his 95 pitches for strikes. The Rays were only able to draw a single walk and put together three hits off the veteran.
As he strolled off the mound, the Fenway Faithful gave Hill a — well deserved — standing ovation.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Hill dominated from start to finish. Saturday was his day.
— Alex Verdugo continued his climb to a .300 batting average, finishing 2-for-4 from the plate with a double and run scored. He also made a web gem for Jeurys Familia.
— Bobby Dalbec put the Red Sox up 4-0 with a two-strike, two-out, two-run single in the first inning. He finished 1-for-3 from the plate.
WAGER WATCH
Kiké Hernández’s sixth home run of the year had the chance to make bettors a pretty penny. DraftKings Sportsbook set the odds for a Hernández homer at +370 before the game, meaning a $100 bet would have landed the bettor $470 total.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox and Rays will finish their three-game set on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, with NESN 360.
