Tanner Houck had a Cy Young game for the Red Sox
Tanner Houck stepped up for the Red Sox in a big way on Saturday and happened to join elite company in the process.
In a must-win penultimate regular-season game against the Washington Nationals, Houck was perfect through five innings. He did not allow a baserunner and struck out eight men, setting down each of the 15 batters he faced, needing only 53 pitches to do so.
In doing so, he joined Cy Young and George Winter as the only pitchers in franchise history to be perfect through five or more innings.
Red Sox starting pitchers to allow 0 baserunners over an entire outing of at least 5.0 innings:
— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) October 2, 2021
Cy Young – May 5, 1904 vs. PHI (9.0 IP, perfect game)
Tanner Houck – October 2, 2021 at WSH (5.0 IP)
h/t @EliasSports
Houck joins Cy Young (1904 - 7 innings against the Washington Senators!) and George Winter (1907, 5 innings) as the only Red Sox pitchers lifted after at least 5 perfect innings.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) October 2, 2021
Had his start not been in a National League ballpark (requiring him to hit), Houck likely would have stayed in the game longer. Though if he had, we might not be talking about a perfect start.
Tanner Houck has stepped up for the Red Sox since his 2020 debut
When Houck made his debut in 2020, he started three September games, all against eventual postseason teams: the Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves. He went five or more innings in each start, struck out at least four batters, and only allowed one earned run over a total of 17 innings. He and Eduardo Rodriguez are the only pitchers in franchise history to go five-plus innings and allow zero or one earned runs in each of their first three MLB appearances.
This season, Houck contributed to his team as a starter and reliever, totaling 18 games and 13 starts, with an overall 3.52 ERA. Over 69 innings, he struck out 87 batters, issued 27 walks, and allowed 27 earned runs, though he only gave up four home runs. He also earned his first career save on July 16, a three-inning scoreless gem in which he held the Yankees to just one hit.
Since September 4, Houck has pitched in seven total games, including making four starts, and has a 3.33 ERA and 2.30 FIP over 24 1/3 innings. His perfect outing on Saturday came on short rest; he’d closed against the Orioles on September 28. Between the two appearances, he had thrown 94 pitches in five days, amounting to a full start.
Last fall, Houck was pitching when the Red Sox season was already over; it was essentially before it began. On Saturday, he was pitching for his team’s survival and happened to make history in the process.
Maybe there’s a different kind of Cy Young in Houck’s future.