Boston Red Sox reliever Rich Hill left Wednesday's game clutching his elbow, which is usually a sign that it's going to take more than a couple of aspirin to get a guy right. Indeed, he tore a ligament in his elbow, and he'll likely need season-ending surgery. [ed.-- or three aspirin]
The injury left the Red Sox without a lefty in the bullpen -- a tough spot for a team in the same division as Curtis Granderson, Nick Markakis, and Sam Fuld. So up comes 29-year-old Tommy Hottovy, who sports what I'm assuming is the rhymingest name since Greg Legg got a few at-bats in the '80s. Legg was a player who overcame tremendous odds -- such as his parents hating him -- and Hottovy is a similar feel-good story. He was taken by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2004 draft, and for seven-plus seasons, he plied his trade in the minors, usually in double-A Portland.
Hottovy was converted to relief in 2008 with mixed results. His stats:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 26 | Portland | EL | AA | 5.00 | 9.0 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2009 | 27 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | AA-A- | 3.18 | 34.0 | 30 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 41 |
| 2010 | 28 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | AA-AAA | 4.90 | 75.1 | 86 | 41 | 11 | 43 | 56 |
| 2011 | 29 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | AA-AAA | 1.67 | 27.0 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 28 |
So it's a feel good call-up for a player who has clearly paid his dues. If you need to know where some good restaurants in Portland, Maine are, don't bother with Yelp. Just text Tommy Hottovy. Now he gets to see what Boston is like.


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