Red Sox’s Alex Cora Impressed By Tanner Houck, Calls Velocity ‘Eye-Popping’

It’s safe to say Tanner Houck is impressing Alex Cora.

The Red Sox pitcher tossed three innings of one-hit ball with a walk and three strikeouts in Boston’s 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday afternoon.

Houck’s pitches reached well into the high 90s, something Cora called “eye-popping.”

“I saw him pitch last year and I noticed that he was throwing 92 or 93, if I’m not mistaken,” Cora told reporters after the game. “With his movement, I thought that was good enough. But now, you see 96, 97 and it’s eye-opening.”

The right-handed Houck made his Major League Baseball debut last year for Boston and amassed a 3-0 record with an impressive 0.53 ERA in 17 innings.

Cora mentioned earlier this week that the Red Sox plan to consider Houck as a starter, not a reliever, though it’s not a guarantee that he will make the Opening Day roster.