Rays starter Rich Hill smashes dugout bench with bat vs. Nationals

Tampa Bay Rays starter Rich Hill lost his cool and had a bit of a temper tantrum in the Rays dugout during Tuesday night's game in Washington. 

It happened after Hill had been tagged by the Nationals for four runs in the first two innings, putting the Rays in a 4-0 hole. After returning to the Rays dugout at the end of the second inning, Hill vented his frustration by slamming his glove twice on the dugout bench and screaming something, then taking his cap and throwing it down. Hill wasn't finished, however, as he picked up a baseball bat and slammed the dugout bench a few times for good measure.

    

Hill had to get himself composed pretty quickly, because as luck would have it, he was due to lead off in the top of the third. He managed to reach first on a bunt single to the catcher and made it to second base on a throwing error, then advanced to third on a fielder's choice, but wasn't able to score a run.    

As things played out, the outburst may have been just what Hill needed to turn things around, as he pitched four more innings without giving up a run.  Unfortunately, the Rays weren't able to put together enough offense to dig out of the deficit, so Hill had to take the loss as the Nationals beat the Rays 4-3.

[MLB]

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About Michael James

Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.