WBSC Premier12 star Tanner Houck led the Boston Red Sox to a 2-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians, completing the shutout in one hour and 49 minutes. It became the shortest nine-inning game since 2 June 2010, when Armando Galarraga went close to pitching a perfect game for Detroit.
Houck used 94 pitches, 69 strikes, allowing only three hits while striking out nine. He faced only 29 batters, two above the minimun.
In today's Major League Baseball (MLB) jargon, a shutout accomplished in less than 100 pitches is a Maddux, in honour of Hall of Famer Greg Maddux.
Glenn himself was the last pitcher to throw a Maddux with nine strikeouts or more on 20 August 1995 in St. Louis.
"It's definitely a compliment. Obviously, everyone knows Maddux, what he did for the game, and how special he was," Houck told MLB.com. "To have that terminology used is definitely fun."
When Houck took the mound for the ninth inning, he was welcomed by a standing ovation from the crowd of over 32,000 at Boston's iconic Fenway Park.
"I just went out there business as usual," he commented. "Go out there and get strike one, strike two and get these guys out. You can bask in that stuff after. But definitely just going out there focused and knowing what I had to do."
Houck represented the United States as a 21-year-old in the WBSC Premier12 2019. He also represented his country in 2015, when he was one of three pitchers (with A-J. Puk and Ryan Hendryx) to combine a no-hitter against Cuba for the collegiate USA.
Houck made his MLB debut on 15 September 2020 and has appeared in 78 games for the Red Sox, 45 as a starter.
