By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A few days shy of 10 months since his Tommy John surgery, lefthander Rich Hill appeared in a game today.

Hill went two innings in a Double-A game at Fenway South. He allowed one run on two hits with two strikeouts and no walks. He threw 18 of his 26 pitches for strikes.

"It's a great feeling to be in a regular game again, facing another team," said Hill, who felt no discomfort in his elbow and threw the ball with full effort. "I was throwing strikes, that was big. I was perfectly fine."

Hill is potentially a huge piece of the Red Sox bullpen as his sidearm delivery makes him a difficult matchup for lefthanded hitters. Before he tore a ligament in his elbow last season, lefties were 1 for 14 against Hill with seven strikeouts.

Hill will pitch in another minor league game on Tuesday, he said. The plan is for him to stay behind when the team breaks camp and soon after be assigned to a minor league team to start his rehabilitation assignment.

"I don't know how much I'll need. Today felt really good," Hill said. "I'm really encouraged."

As Hill spoke to a reporter, David Ortiz stopped at his locker and complimented him on his outing.

"You look like you were never hurt," Ortiz said. "That was great stuff."