There’s no sugarcoating it: Boston Red Sox starter Tanner Houck is unraveling in front of everyone.
On Monday night, the right-hander made the wrong kind of franchise history, surrendering 11 earned runs in just 2.1 innings in a blowout loss to the Detroit Tigers. It was his second such implosion this season, the first coming in mid-April when the Rays shelled him for 12 runs (11 earned). That makes him the first Red Sox pitcher since integration to allow 10+ earned runs in multiple games in a single season.
And it’s only May.
From All-Star to Alarming
This time last year, Houck was amid a breakout campaign, boasting a 2.17 ERA and earning his first All-Star nod. By year’s end, he finished with a strong 3.12 ERA, looking like a foundational piece for Boston’s rotation.
Now? He owns an 8.04 ERA, has surrendered 39 earned runs in just 43.2 innings, and looks completely lost.
“Probably the most lost I’ve ever been,” Houck admitted postgame, visibly defeated. “Just not getting the job done, which weighs on me heavily.”
It’s not just his stuff that’s missing. It’s his confidence — and in Boston, that’s a brutal thing to lose.
A Meltdown the Numbers Can’t Hide
Red Sox fans are no strangers to pitching heartbreak, but Houck’s struggles are approaching historically foul territory. Only two other pitchers in franchise history — Win Kellum (1901) and Wes Ferrell (1936) — have given up 10+ earned runs in multiple starts in a season. Houck now joins that exclusive club, over 100 years later.
He didn’t make it out of the third inning in both blowups this year. Against the Tigers, he was tattooed for nine runs in a single frame, including a “Little League home run” by Riley Greene that saw a defensive error compound the chaos.
Forget command issues or pitch sequencing. This isn’t about mechanics anymore — it’s about a pitcher spiraling under the spotlight.
A City That Doesn’t Wait
In another market, Houck might have more time to figure it out. But Boston is not that city.
Every pitch is magnified. Any failure echoes through Fenway’s walls and talk radio stations. Every struggling player is a referendum on the franchise. And Houck’s meltdowns — not one, but two historically bad ones — are impossible to ignore.
Manager Alex Cora wasn’t ready to pull the plug after the game, but the writing’s on the wall.
“We’ll have to take a look at it and see what we do,” Cora said. “There were a lot of pitches in the middle of the zone.”
That’s the nicest way of saying: we can’t keep doing this.
The Mental Toll
Houck’s postgame comments offer a rare glimpse into the psychological strain of failure in the majors. He’s not hiding from it, he’s not deflecting, he’s acknowledging it — and wearing it.
And in some ways, that’s more painful than the box score. This issue isn’t just a guy with bad numbers. This guy knows he’s failing — and still can’t stop it.
It’s not just a matter of whether Houck will stay in the rotation. It’s about whether he can mentally recover from this stretch and rediscover the version of himself who dominated big league hitters not long ago.
What Comes Next?
Cora and the front office have a tough call to make. Do they skip Houck’s next start? Send him to the bullpen? Phantom IL stint? Either way, something has to give — because doing nothing risks losing him for good.
Tanner Houck may not be broken. But he’s bending hard — unless the Red Sox act fast, he might not return.
