BOSTON (WHDH) - Red Sox right handed pitcher Tanner Houck took a big step in 2024, earning an all star nod and a 2.54 earned run average (ERA) through the first half of the season.
“Yeah I mean it’s a great first step, the job is not done by any means, I know that last year was a great step forward, in terms of my growth as a player,” said Houck.
Houck is ready for the expectations coming his way ahead of the 2025 season.
“We all want expectations high because we all have high expectations for ourselves to go out there and win and perform at the ability that we all know that we have, it’s just about putting all the pieces together at the right time,” said Houck.
Houck is hungry for more. As one of the only reliable starters on the Sox staff last season, he struggled to maintain his game throughout the second half. Houck still finished the season with a respectable 3.12 ERA.
“‘Ended on a little bit of a sour note, wish I could have finished stronger,” said Houck. “But to say that I had a good year last year, finished all the way through, got to 30 starts was a great feat.'”
The 28-year-old righty won’t have to shoulder all the burden in 2025. With a beefed up pitching staff that includes Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, and a now healthy Lucas Giolito.
“Yeah, I’ve been talking to them the whole time, getting to know each other well in the first week,” said Houck. “Kinda talking through pitching, pitching viewpoints, kinda how they go about things.”
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