Red Sox’s Alex Cora Addresses Tanner Houck’s Injury: ‘He Got Lucky’

BOSTON — The Red Sox made easy work of the Yankees on Friday night at Fenway Park, but it came at the cost of one shocking injury midway through the series-opening American League East clash.

Tanner Houck, who made the start for Boston, had his night abruptly cut short in the fifth inning when the right-hander was knocked down by a rapid comebacker that sent him to the ground with a face contusion. Holding his face with a towel to prevent further bleeding, Houck was assisted off the field and into Boston’s dugout by manager Alex Cora and a team trainer.

“He’s in the hospital right now getting further tests. We’ll know more obviously at the end of the night,” Cora revealed following Boston’s 15-5 blowout win over New York. “We got lucky there. As of now, all I know (is) he’s conscious and we didn’t know about that one.”

Cora also shared that Houck had been struck below the eye and around the cheek area of the face when asked. The ball, off the bat of Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka, nailed Houck at a speed of 89.7 mph off the bat.

“He knew where he was right away and he kept saying he was fine,” Cora said. “We just have to make sure we slow him down. I saw him when he was getting stitches so he was, I mean — he got lucky. Let’s put it that way.”

Houck pitched four innings while allowing just one run off four hits and a walk, striking out two Yankees hitters while throwing 59 pitches total. Leading Boston’s pitching staff in innings pitched (67 2/3) and starts made (13), losing him, even short-term, could serve as another major hit to an already wounded Red Sox pitching staff.

Aside from the first inning, in which Houck allowed two hits and a run, the 26-year-old cruised. Houck followed that minor game-opening setback by resettling and allowing just two hits to the Yankees through his next (and final) three innings of work, providing a major helping hand in keeping Boston in the win column for a second straight night.