Red Sox Pitcher Tanner Houck ‘Blessed’ To Be MLB All-Star For First Time
Three Boston Red Sox players were named to the 2024 All-star Game, including pitcher Tanner Houck.
This will be the 28-year-old’s first appearance in an All-Star Game in his fifth MLB season. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.68 ERA in 18 starts and 111 innings. He has allowed the fewest home runs per nine innings in baseball with 0.4 allowed.
Houck found out he was selected in 4:30 p.m. ET team meeting at Yankees Stadium on Sunday.
“The biggest thing I take away from it all is hard work and perseverance through everything no matter how many times you get kicked down or how many times you get hit in the face. You get back up and you keep going,” Houck told reporters, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “It’s not the funnest way of doing things. It’s not the easiest way of doing things — to fail and get back up and fail again and continue to get back up. But it’s the right way of going about things. It’s putting in that work every day that matters and just getting that one percent each and every day. And trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel when you are struggling. But that kind of shows you what kind of man you are.”
Houck has had a tough go-around in professional baseball, including taking a line drive to the face last season that required him to have a plate surgically inserted into his face. He also just made his way into the starting rotation this season in the final week of spring training.
While his route to the All-Star Game was not the easiest, Houck still took the time to shoutout his fellow All-Stars Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers and the Red Sox staff.
“Such an incredible coaching staff. Such an incredible group in that locker room,” Houck said. “It makes showing up to the field every day a true honor. It’s guys like these two (Duran and Devers) next to me and everyone in that locker room that fires me up and gets me ready to go out there and pitch and wanting to leave it all out there on the field. I feel blessed and incredibly thankful for this moment.”
Houck will play in the All-Star Game on July 16 with first pitch set for 8 p.m.