Official MLB baseball signed by Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck #89

Tanner Lee Houck (born June 29, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Red Sox with the 24th overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 230 pounds (100 kg), he throws and bats right-handed.

During the start-delayed 2020 MLB season, Houck won his MLB debut against the Miami Marlins on September 15, allowing two hits and no runs in five innings pitched while striking out seven batters. Those strikeouts resulted in Houck donating $700 to his charity, Pitch for Adoption, as before the game he had pledged to donate $100 for each strikeout. While Houck was a freshman in high school, his family adopted a 4-year-old girl, which moved him to become a supporter for adoption. Houck became only the fourth player in Red Sox history to strikeout seven or more batters and not allow any runs in an MLB debut game.

In Houck's second start, against the New York Yankees on September 20, he took a no hitter into the sixth inning, exiting the game after that inning having held the Yankees to one hit and one unearned run. Overall with the 2020 Red Sox, Houck appeared in three games (all starts), compiling a 3–0 record with 0.53 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched. Following the 2020 season, Houck was ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox' number eight prospect.

2021 season: during the regular season, Houck made 18 appearances (13 starts) for Boston, compiling a 1–5 record with 3.52 ERA; he struck out 87 batters in 69 innings.

2022 Season: On September 3, Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced that Houck would have season-ending back surgery. In 32 appearances (four starts) during 2022, Houck recorded a 5–4 record with eight saves and a 3.15 ERA while striking out 56 batters in 60 innings pitched.

Authentification: This autographed baseball has an official MLB tamper proof hologram. Each hologram contains a unique identification number that is recorded in a MLB database which can be accessed here.