By Morris Phillips

Rich Hill has experienced a bunch of adversity on and off the diamond since October 6, 2007, the day he made his one and only post-season appearance, giving up a home run to Chris Young on the first pitch of the game, and lasting just three innings in the Cubs sobering, season-ending 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks in the NLDS.

For the purpose of capsulizing the A’s eye-opening 6-1 win over the Mariners as opposed to retelling Hill’s decade-long saga, here’s what’s important to know: While most baseball decision makers were mixed at best on Hill’s ability to be a major league reliever, the 6’5” left hander steadfastly, and quietly, felt he could once again be a quality big league starter.

That difference of opinion lasted nearly eight years until Hill, on his third, abbreviated stint with the Red Sox made four career-altering starts, throwing 23 innings, striking out 36, walking five and winning three times, including a complete game, two-hit shutout against the Orioles.   In each of Hill’s first three starts in September, he pitched at least seven innings and struck out 10.

At 36 years old, having pitched just 182 major league innings in the eight seasons following his 11-win 2007 campaign, Hill qualifies as the A’s high risk/high reward signing of 2016, and in the sixth inning on Saturday night, Oakland got an indication if the $6 million gambit will pay off.

Leading 5-1, Hill was dealing to that point, allowing four hits and a run, while striking out seven. Distanced from the circumstances of his first start as an Athletic, on Opening Night in which he was a game day replacement for the under-the-weather Sonny Gray, Hill had all his pitches working in Seattle from his signature sweeping curveball to his above average fastball and occasional slider.

In the opener, all of the pitcher’s negatives culled over the previous eight years resurfaced: no sweeping break on his curve, which he threw 16 times, poor control as evidenced by two hit batters and a walk, and just three strikeouts. Lifted in the third, Hill was charged with all four runs in the A’s 4-3 loss. Hill’s line for the opener ominously mirrored his 2007 playoff start right down to the premature exit.

But on Saturday, Hill was in control, pitching briskly, and even varying his release point with an occasional sidearm delivery. Then in the sixth, with his pitching count rising, he faced some adversity.

First, Hill hit the speedy Ketel Marte with a 3-2 curve ball that broke too sharply–busting Marte on his mid-thigh—putting the leadoff man aboard. The veteran recovered quickly, completely fooling Robinson Cano on two-strike curve that had the slugger lunging across the plate. Nelson Cruz followed with a solid single that prompted pitching coach Curt Young to visit, no doubt to remind Hill that he would be lifted if he allowed another batter to reach with his pitch count approaching 100.

But the lefty finished strong, fanning Kyle Seager on a 2-2 pitch, and getting Chris Iannetta to swing and miss a hard slider with the count full. For Hill, a step in the right direction, for the Mariners, who have faced four lefty starters in five games, and lost three times, a step back.

“Rich Hill has a good curveball,” Mariners manager, Scott Servais said. “He finished us off late in counts and went to it often. And we weren’t able to adjust.”

In all, Hill threw his curveball 52 times in 99 pitches. But it wasn’t the same pitch every time. Hill varied his arm angles, as well as the break.

“It was his go-to pitch in big situations, early in the count he was using it and he was very versatile with it too,” Iannetta said.

Only Iannetta figured out Hill, homering in the second in response to the A’s two, first inning runs off Nathan Karns. Josh Reddick gave the A’s some breathing room with his two-run shot in the fifth. And the A’s finished off Seattle with a run in the sixth, and then another on Stephen Vogt’s double in the seventh.

Coco Crisp got the start in center, and showed that he’s not done. Crisp compiled two knocks, scored twice and stole two bases, including the 300^th of his career.

The A’s moved into a first place tie in the AL West with Texas at 3-3. While the division’s had a rough first week as a whole, the A’s will take their early perch, given they’re coming of a 90-loss season in 2015, and three losses in their first four home games.

On Sunday, the A’s look for the sweep, but it will be a tricky proposition with King Felix Hernandez looking for his 23^rd career win against the A’s in a matchup with Chris Bassitt. Bassitt was 0-2 in four starts against Seattle in 2015.