Tanner Houck’s Game 2 performance in the ALDS matched a pair of other playoff outings in Red Sox lore.
The rookie right-hander pitched five innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one run to cool off the Rays’ bats after Chris Sale gave up five runs in the first inning. In his outing, Houck gave up just two hits and didn’t walk a batter, striking out five to earn the win in the Red Sox’ 14-6 drubbing of the Rays.
With his five innings out of the bullpen, Houck joined Nathan Eovaldi and Pedro Martinez as the only other Red Sox pitchers to pitch at least five innings out of the bullpen in the playoffs over the last 100 years, per the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.