Houck in complete control during gem
Goes the distance in blanking the Guardians
Connor Wong could tell Tanner Houck had it from the moment he started warming up in the bullpen. All of the Red Sox righthander’s pitches were working, the catcher could tell, and it felt like everything was going exactly where he wanted them to go.
Once Houck stepped on the mound, it quickly became clear that this was going to be a special night at Fenway Park.
The 27-year-old delivered the finest performance of his career on Wednesday, pitching a complete game shutout to beat the Cleveland Guardians 2-0. Houck mowed the Guardians down on only 94 pitches, racking up nine strikeouts while limiting the opposition to only three hits and no walks.
In doing so Houck became the first Red Sox starter to pitch into the seventh inning or beyond this season, as well as the first Red Sox pitcher to throw a nine-inning complete game shutout since Michael Wacha on June 6, 2022. He also made such quick work of the Guardians that the game took only 1:49 to complete, which according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne marks the fastest game in the majors since Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect game on June 2, 2010.
“This is one of those nights where you probably get one or two of these a season if you’re lucky,” Houck said. “Where you just go out there and feel you can do no wrong.”
“It just seemed like he was playing catch,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “There was never a thought of going to the bullpen. That was his game.”
The most encouraging takeaway from Wednesday’s gem is it hasn’t been a oneoff, but just the latest in a string of terrific outings for Houck to start the season. The right-hander threw six scoreless innings in each of his first two starts and now boasts a 1.35 ERA over 26.2 innings. He’s struck out 28 and walked only two, and most importantly, he seems to have finally figured out how to pitch deep into games and work his way through opposing lineups for a third time.
In past years Houck has been frustratingly inefficient, and while the former first-round pick has always boasted filthy stuff he’s often struggled to keep it in the strike zone. Last year he frequently shot himself in the foot with ill-timed walks that would inevitably cut his outings short in the fifth, but now Houck is attacking the strike zone and leaning into his strengths.
“He’s very, very talented, he can do some special things and every time he starts,” Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey said last Friday before Houck’s start that day. “If he can fill up the zone, be ahead, really it’s any pitch, any time with him. The slot is so unique, the way he unwinds is unique. He’s special.”
One factor in Houck’s uneven development has been the numerous setbacks he’s encountered along the way. Throughout his career he’s frequently bounced back and forth between the rotation and bullpen, and in 2022 he underwent seasonending back surgery that limited him throughout the following winter and put him behind the eight ball early in 2023. By the time he finally found his rhythm his season was derailed again after being hit in the head by a line drive, which knocked him out of action for two months.
Now Houck is pitching like one of the best starters in the American League, which he attributed to finally being fully healthy and to not trying to overdo it on every pitch like he has in the past. He’s also played an instrumental part in helping the Red Sox rotation to a league-best 1.85 ERA through the team’s first 19 games, the club’s best mark at this point in the season in over 100 years.
“We’ve got a lot of strike throwers on this team with a lot of nasty stuff,” Houck said. “We’ve got different arm angles, different pitch mixes, but the biggest thing is throwing strike one, strike two, getting guys out early and just pounding the zone and being relentless.”
Houck didn’t get much run support Wednesday night, but what little the Red Sox offense mustered was more than sufficient. Boston took the lead in the bottom of the third when Pablo Reyes scored on a balk by Cleveland starter Ben Lively, and in the fourth Wong provided some insurance with a solo home run to left field.
“Obviously insurance is great but the way he was throwing tonight it almost felt like we just needed the one,” Wong said.
Houck’s enjoyed some memorable moments over the course of his career. He threw five perfect innings in the 2021 season’s penultimate game to help get that year’s team into the postseason and then made five playoff appearances en route to the ALCS. But electric as those outings were, Houck said this was without a doubt the best game of his career.
“This is definitely number one,” Houck said. “For sure.”
Bernardino the opener
Following the game the Red Sox announced that left-hander Brennan Bernardino will start Thursday’s series finale against Cleveland as an opener. The expectation is righthander Cooper Criswell will come on in relief as the bulk man, though Cora said they aren’t sure exactly when in the game he’ll come in or how long he’ll be used.
First pitch Thursday is scheduled for 1:35 p.m.