Red Sox’s Tanner Houck Makes Admission After Notable Change

Tanner Houck brought the heat to Rogers Centre on Thursday.

As MassLive pointed out after the Red Sox-Blue Jays series finale, Houck averaged 95.8 mph on his 54 sinkers thrown against Toronto — a notable uptick from his season average of 93.9 mph. The increased velocity helped the right-hander put together his best outing of the year to date: seven innings in which he only allowed one run on four hits while striking out six.

While a bigger number on the radar gun was one of Alex Cora’s main takeaways from Houck’s latest start, the 2024 All-Star himself didn’t feel like he was throwing harder in the moment.

“No, it’s not something I ever really concerned myself with,” Houck told reporters, per MassLive. “I know that with my movement, as long as I execute the pitch, I’m confident with getting people out whether I’m at 92 or 97.”

Houck certainly did his job of recording outs Thursday, but the bullpen fumbled the pass of the baton. Justin Slaten replaced Boston’s starter in the eighth and promptly gave up three runs, which proved to be the difference in the Red Sox’s 4-2 loss.

Cora’s club will look to bounce back Friday when it kicks off a three-game series with the Minnesota Twins. NESN’s full coverage of the opener at Fenway Park begins at 5:30 p.m. ET.