Rich Hill didn't know how to react after hitting his first double in a decade
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Signing Rich Hill was a prudent investment for the Dodgers, but while they enjoy his pitching, he added a bonus at the plate during their division-clinching 4-2 victory over the GIants on Friday night. It was definitely an unlikely contribution, as Hill had only managed three hits in 44 plate appearances beforehand all year long.
Hill did his job on the mound by spinning six innings of one-run ball, fanning nine Giants batters along way. In the bottom of the third, though, he faced Jeff Samardzija with Logan Forsythe on second. He belted Samardzija's offering the opposite way, into the left-center-field gap for a double:
Hill's contribution tied the game up at 1-1, and the Dodgers later took a 4-1 lead, en route to securing their fifth straight NL West title. The most remarkable part about the double, though? Hill hadn't registered an extra-base hit in 10 years, when he was a 27-year-old on the Cubs.
Hill could hardly believe it, either:
That last extra-base hit, a double, came way back on June 2, 2007, against Chuck James of the Braves. It also scored a run, but instead of Forsythe, it was old batterymate Koyie Hill.
Of course, it didn't matter how long it had been -- Hill's Dodgers teammates were pumped: