Major League Baseball: Kansas City Royals
DETROIT Sweat dripped down reliever Tim Hills face, under the collar of his Royals jersey and onto his neck.
Hill, 28, had just pitched a perfect ninth inning on a late March afternoon in Scottsdale, Ariz. The side-slinging left-hander the Royals chose to protect from Decembers Rule 5 draft retired three Diamondbacks minor-leaguers with the help of ground balls and a five-pitch strikeout. He preserved a tie in the Royals penultimate game of the spring.
The appearance, Hills final audition for a spot on the Royals 25-man roster, couldnt have gone more smoothly.