Tanner Houck earned a 2-0 shutout win against the Cleveland Guardians in “Maddux” fashion. He threw only 94 pitches in 1 hour and 49 minutes to give the Boston Red Sox their tenth victory in 19 matches.

It’s the shortest nine-inning game since June 2, 2020, when Armando Galarraga pitched a near-perfect game for the Detroit Tigers. Houck threw 69 strikes against the Guardians to complete the first shutout by a Red Sox pitcher in nearly two years. Michael Wacha was the last pitcher to do it on June 6, 2022, when Boston had a road game in Anaheim against the Angels.

Meanwhile, on August 31, 2014, Clay Buchholz was the last Red Sox pitcher before Houck to pull off a “Maddux” – a shutout in under 100 pitches.

Houck faced 29 batters, giving up three hits and earning nine strikeouts. MLB.com’s Ian Browne wrote that his pitch count includes 37 sliders, 32 splitters, 22 sinkers, and three cut fastballs.

The masterful performance improves Houck’s record to 3-1 with a 1.35 earned run average in four starts. He gave up 22 hits and four earned runs in 26.2 innings. Houck has given up only two walks and has a 0.900 WHIP. Aside from Houck, Ranger Suarez and Ronel Blanco are the only pitchers who have thrown a shutout in 2024 (so far).

More importantly, the victory kept the Red Sox in pace with the American League East rivals, keeping them 3.5 games away from division leaders New York Yankees.

-Lance Fernandez