Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck struck in face by line drive vs. Yankees

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck took a comebacker to the face during his team’s Friday home tilt against the New York Yankees.

Pitching to a 13-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning, Houck took a line drive off the bat of Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka. Houck immediately fell to the ground as the ball ricocheted towards third base. Several Red Sox teammates gathered around Houck on the mound as trainers tended to him. The 26-year-old walked off the field under assistance with a towel over his face.

Scary sight at Fenway as Tanner Houck gets hit in the face.

He did walk off under his own power and seemed to motion to his teammates.

Awful.

pic.twitter.com/SCHPwj2WFN

— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) June 17, 2023

Houck is in his fourth season with the Red Sox. Primarily used as a bulk guy the last two seasons, Houck transitioned to a full-time starter in 2023 and has seen mixed results. Houck entered Friday 3-6 in 12 starts, carrying a 5.23 ERA with 62 strikeouts and 22 walks in 63.2 innings.

Prior to exiting the game, Houck was enjoying a nice outing. In four innings of work, Houck surrendered just one run, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out two batters. Houck turned things over to lefty reliever Joe Jacques. Jacques subsequently gave up two runs on three hits and recorded two strikeouts. Through six innings, the Red Sox have a 14-4 lead over their AL East rival.

Tanner Houck finding groove in Red Sox’s rotation

Facing these same Yankees last Saturday, albeit at Yankee Stadium, Houck delivered one of his finest outings of the season. In six innings, Houck held New York to two runs on three hits with six strikeouts and one walk.

Houck said after the game he’s still getting acclimated to his role as a full-time starter.

“It’s continuing to develop, continuing to work, continuing to make the right adjustments after something like [the Torres home run] happens and reining it back in,” Houck said, via MLB.com. “[It’s] continuing to get better each game. It’s about putting a full 162 [games] together. It’s not just about this year. It’s about years down the line. Continuing to store that memory bank of what to do when everything is going well.”