Tanner Lee Houck (born June 29, 1996 in East St. Louis, Illinois, USA) is an American professional baseball player at the pitcher’s position. He plays for the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball (MLB). Houck was drafted 24th in the 2017 MLB draft by the Red Sox. At 1.96 m tall, he weighs around 100 kg and throws and bats right-handed.
Houck attended Collinsville High School in Collinsville, Illinois. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 12th round of the 2014 MLB draft but did not sign and attended the University of Missouri to play college baseball.[1][2][3] As a freshman in Missouri in 2015, Houck played 15 games as a starter while posting an 8-5 win-loss record with a 3.49 ERA, 91 strikeouts and just 12 walks in 100.2 innings.[4][5] As a sophomore, Houck started 15 games and finished 5–6 with a 2.99 ERA and 106 strikeouts.[6]
Houck was drafted 24th in the first round by the Boston Red Sox in the 2017 MLB draft.[7] He signed June 21, 2017 and was assigned to the Class A Short Season Lowell Spinners where he spent the entire season and had a 0–3 record with a 3.63 ERA in 22 1⁄3 innings.[8] In 2018, he played with the Class A-Advanced Salem Red Sox, where he had a 7-11 record with a 4.24 ERA in 23 starts.[8]
In 2019 he started with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs[9] and was promoted to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox on July 13.[8] Overall, Houck was 8-6 in 2019 with a 4.01 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 107 2⁄3 innings.[8] After the 2019 regular season, Houck made six starts for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League.[8]
In the late-start 2020 MLB season, Houck won his MLB debut on September 15 against the Miami Marlins, conceding two hits and no runs in five innings and hitting seven batters in one strikeout.[10] These strikeouts resulted in Houck donating $700 to his charity Pitch for Adoption donated because he made a prior-game commitment to donate $100 for every strikeout. When Houck was a freshman in high school, his family adopted a 4-year-old girl, prompting him to advocate for adoption.[11] Houck became only the fourth player in Red Sox history to hit seven or more strikeouts and not concede runs in an MLB debut.[12] In his second game against the New York Yankees on September 20, he did not concede a hit until the sixth inning and left the game after that inning after conceding only one hit and one unearned run to the Yankees.[13] Overall, Houck made three games of the 2020 Red Sox (all starts) and had a 3-0 record with a .53 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 17 innings.[14] After the 2020 season, Houck was retired from Sports Magazine Baseball America ranked number eight among Red Sox prospects.[15]
Houck began the 2021 season on Boston’s active squad; he lost a start and made a relief appearance before being ordered to the team’s alternate training site on April 7.[16][17] On April 18, he was called back to start a game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, in which he suffered one loss.[18] On July 16, Houck was recalled again by the Red Sox[19] and made his first major league save (successfully maintaining an existing lead while serving as a relief pitcher) that night when he pitched the last three innings of a 4-0 win over the Yankees in the Bronx.[20] He was optioned to and recalled from the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox several times in July and August.[19][21] Overall, Houck made 18 regular-season appearances (13 starts) for Boston, recording 1–5 with a 3.52 ERA; he threw out 87 batters in 69 innings.[14]
In the summer of 2015, Houck played for the United States collegiate national team. Against Kuba, Houck, AJ Puk and Ryan Hendrix threw a no-hitter together.[22]
In October 2019, Houck was selected for the United States National Baseball team for the 2019 WBSC Premier12 tournament.[23]
- ↑ Metro Independent Athlete of the Week: Tanner Houck, Toronto Blue Jays draftee – The Metro Independent. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (American English).
- ↑ Tanner Houck is living the dream at Missouri. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (American English).
- ↑ Tod Palmer: Mizzou pitcher Tanner Houck keeps major-league motivation on his wrist. In: kansascity.com. 14. April 2016, accessed April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Dave Matter: Houck emerges as Mizzou’s next pitching star. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Andrew Hodgson: Tanner Houck might lack name recognition, but he has a bright professional future. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Tanner Houck – Baseball. Retrieved April 10, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Sox take Houck with 24th pick in Draft. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ a b c d e Tanner Houck Stats, Fantasy & News. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Sox prospect Durbin Feltman to start season at Portland with Bobby Dalbec, Tanner Houck, Darwinzon Hernandez. 2. April 2019, accessed April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Red Sox vs. Marlins – Box Score – September 15, 2020 – ESPN. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Houck’s debut nets win, $700 donation. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ lalalalaurrrren: Red Sox Notes: Tanner Houck Describes ‘Surreal’ MLB Debut After Win. In: NESN.com. 16. September 2020, accessed April 11, 2022 (American English).
- ↑ Red Sox Notes: Tanner Houck Makes MLB History In Second Career Start. In: NESN.com. 20. September 2020, accessed April 11, 2022 (American English).
- ↑ a b Tanner Houck Stats. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Alex Speier Globe Staff, Updated November 12, 2020, 9:26 a m Share on Facebook Share on TwitterView Comments: Ranking the top prospects in the Red Sox’ farm system – The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (American English).
- ↑ Transactions. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Tanner Houck 2021 Pitching Game Logs. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ White Sox 3, Red Sox 2 (Final Score) on MLB Gameday. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ a b Transactions. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Red Sox’s Tanner Houck: Earns three-inning save. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Transactions. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
- ↑ Team USA Makes History With No-Hitter • D1Baseball. July 2, 2015, accessed April 11, 2022.
- ↑ USA Baseball Names Premier12 Roster. Retrieved April 11, 2022 (English).
Player information and statistics from MLB or ESPN or Baseball-Reference or Fangraphs or Baseball-Reference (Minor League) (English)
