How Tanner Houck Fared In Return To Red Sox Pitching Staff

Tanner Houck returned to the Boston Red Sox to make his first appearance since June 16, when he suffered a facial fracture at Fenway Park in a 15-5 win over the New York Yankees.

The right-hander took the ball against a talented Houston Astros lineup. He did not have much support from his offense or defense in a 7-3 win for Houston. Despite taking the loss to fall to 3-7 in 2023, Houck was more than competitive in his returning start and gave the Red Sox a chance to be in the game.

“I felt good with everything,” Houck said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “It’s a good one to build off of. A little rocky but I kind of felt like I got back in a groove from the second inning on. Need to throw more strikes but that will come with timing and getting back in the swing of things.”

The righty struggled in the first inning with a pair of walks and allowed a two-run homer to Kyle Tucker. From there, the Boston starter responded with a solid outing.

“Didn’t even think about it, to be honest,” Houck said. “Didn’t even worry about the pitch count. Just find a way to continue to put your best foot forward and help the team stay in a position to win.”

Houck’s night was done after five innings, in which he allowed three earned runs on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts. In his final inning with his pitch limit approaching, Houck dealt a one-two-three inning that ended with a strikeout.

“I would argue that was my best inning in terms of feel and delivery-wise,” Houck added. “I felt stronger in that inning with something positive. I didn’t feel like I was fatigued. I felt strong all the way through. That’s all you can ask for.”

If the Red Sox are going to legitimately keep playoff hopes alive, the return of Houck offers a major boost to the pitching staff.