Boston Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of New York Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka on Friday and exited the game.
Houck went down to his knees after being struck in the fifth inning, and his right cheek had blood on it as the ball ricocheted toward third base for a single. Red Sox manager Alex Cora and team trainers came to the mound and escorted Houck to the dugout. Houck walked off under his own power.
The team later announced that the right-hander sustained a facial contusion.
Houck threw four-plus innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Had he lasted three more outs, he would have been in line for a win with the Red Sox leading 13-1 at the time that he left. Left-hander Joe Jacques took over on the mound.
On the year, Houck is 3-6 with a 5.05 ERA through 13 starts. In four major league seasons, all with Boston, he has a 12-15 record with nine saves and a 3.66 ERA in 66 games (33 starts).
–Field Level Media