ST. LOUIS — Joe Kelly kept it together, just as Shelby Miller did in the opposite dugout.

The matchup of former teammates who were each other’s best man at their weddings was a high quality draw. Each allowed a run in seven innings.

“There was some emotion there,” Kelly said after the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Wednesday night. “After the first pitch, I’m just pitching again. It’s like you’re in the playoffs.”

Miller’s postgame reaction was similar.

“I thought it would maybe a little bit more odd than it really was,” Miller said. “When he’s in the box, you’re pitching to him. When we’re out there, we’re trying to win the game. That’s it.”

Kelly worked seven innings only twice in 22 starts for St. Louis the last two seasons and Miller got that deep for just the eighth time in 54 career starts.

Kelly got a nice ovation while walking to the bullpen to begin warmups, with hundreds of fans standing. There were more cheers when he stepped onto the mound for the first time, and before his first at-bat leading off the third.