BOSTON — Joe Maddon hopes that in the not too distant future Scott Kazmir will get to pitch in the American League playoffs. Last night, he told Kazmir to get in some practice in that department.

If Kazmir performs in the real playoffs the way he did last night at Fenway, he will be terrific. The young lefty responded beautifully to his manager’s challenge in leading Tampa Bay over Boston, 1-0.

Normally, Maddon would have taken Kazmir out in the seventh inning. Kazmir had reached his pitch limit and was on his way to throwing more pitches than he had in any game this season. And like the Red Sox with their young pitchers, Tampa Bay keeps a limit on Kazmir.

But, because of the situation, when he went out to visit Kazmir with two runners on and one out in the seventh, Maddon let his ace stay in.

“When I went out to the mound I said this is not a normal game, this is a playoff game,” Maddon said. “He responds to that kind if information or motivation. He likes the moment.”

“It jacked me up,” Kazmir said. “It really did. It pumped me up. I was going on adrenaline to begin with.”

Kazmir struck out Jacoby Ellsbury and retired Alex Cora on a fielder’s choice. Rhode Island native Dan Wheeler and Al Reyes finished up to preserve the shutout. It was a special night for Tampa Bay.

“It had a playoff atmosphere,” Maddon said. “I wanted to guys to get used to it. I was very proud of our guys.”

“I just thought he had great stuff and based on the whole vibe of the night I wanted him to get used to pitching in these situations,” Maddon said.

“This is what it’s about right here,” said Wheeler, who was dealt back for a second tour with Tampa Bay from Houston at the trade deadline. “You come in and you play spoiler, it’s fun.”

Kazmir was the star in out-dueling Curt Schilling.

“That may be his best game all year,” Maddon said. “I was very pleased with the way he looked. . . I thought it was OK to give him those 10 extra pitches tonight.”

“I had everything working today,” Kazmir said. “I felt like my changeup was working and also my slider. Normally it’s one or the other.”

For Kazmir, it was his fifth start of the season against the Sox. At age 23, Kazmir has made more starts and pitched more innings against Boston than any other team. The start was his 16th against Boston. He now is 6-4 for his career with his ERA near 2.70 in 96 1/3 innings. He has held the Sox to a career batting average of .217.

He had 10 strikeouts last night, the fourth time this year and the 12th in his career in which he has reached double figures. He has pitched 30 2/3innings against Boston in five starts this year alone and allowed nine earned runs. However, six of those came in one game, a loss to Tim Wakefield Aug. 20 at Tropicana Field.

Wheeler, making his 16th appearance since being reacquired, got Julio Lugo on a routine fly ball to center in the eighth. He walked Coco Crisp, then got Dustin Pedroia on a called third strike. Wheeler fell behind Mike Lowell, 2-0, which got the crowd roaring since David Ortiz had come out on deck to pinch-hit for Bobby Kielty, the next scheduled hitter.

But Wheeler came in and struck out Lowell, getting Lowell on a called third strike on a 91-mph fastball.

“I know I’m pitching at Fenway and that means a little extra adrenaline for me,” the Pilgrim High graduate said. “But I just try to go about my business. I might overthrow if I think about it too much. I try to calm myself down. I think I’m a better pitcher that way.”

pkenyon@projo.com