Tanner Houck achieved an unusual 'Maddux' in impressive performance against Guardians (2024)

Red Sox

The rarely-seen feat is named after Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux.

By Hayden Bird

April 18, 2024

Tanner Houck’s rare achievement in Wednesday night’s win: The Red Sox got back in the win column on Wednesday thanks in large part to starting pitcher Tanner Houck’s complete game shutout.

In total, Houck scattered just three hits and no walks (with nine strikeouts) in the 2-0 win. It was the first complete game shutout at Fenway Park since Brian Johnson against Seattle on May 27, 2017.

Even more rare was the manner in which Houck achieved his shutout: The 27-year-old needed just 94 pitches in a performance that was as dominant as it was economical.

This qualifies Houck as having pitched a “Maddux,” named after Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux. It’s an unofficial term used to describe a pitcher’s stat line in a complete game shutout achieved by throwing less than 100 pitches. Maddux himself, unsurprisingly, is the career leader in the category with 13.

“I love it,” Houck told reporters per Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe. “It’s definitely a compliment. I mean, obviously, everyone knows Greg Maddux, what he did for the game and how special he was. So to have that terminology used is definitely fun.”

“Seemed like he was just playing catch with Connor [Wong],” said Alex Cora of Houck’s dominance in combination with Boston’s catcher.

The right-hander credited his success to avoiding the temptation to focus too much on pitch speed.

“I think it goes back to just not trying to overdo it, not trying to overthrow,” Houck said, per The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. “Everyone gets caught up now on [velocity], and ultimately, sometimes I just got to check myself and realize that I know if I’m throwing 91 to 95 miles per hour, it’s probably more beneficial because I get the same amount of movement, but I also command it better.”

Trivia: According to Baseball Reference, Tanner Houck is the first Red Sox pitcher to achieve a “Maddux” in almost a decade. Who was the most recent Boston pitcher to achieve the feat prior to Houck?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: He threw a no-hitter in his second career MLB start.

Scores and schedules:

As noted above, the Red Sox defeated the Guardians 2-0 on Wednesday. The two teams conclude the series today with first pitch set for 1:35 p.m. at Fenway Park.

The Bruins will begin the first round of the playoffs against the Maple Leafs on Saturday (8 pm) at TD Garden.

The Celtics begin the playoffs on Sunday at 1 p.m. (also at TD Garden), facing either the Bulls or Heat (which will be decided in the conclusion of the NBA play-in tournament on Friday).

More from Boston.com:

• Tanner Houck throws complete-game 3-hit shutout, Red Sox top Cleveland 2-0
• Here’s what to know about the Maple Leafs, the Bruins’ opponent in the 1st round of the playoffs
• Takeaways: ESPN report details failed Bill Belichick job hunt, ‘bad blood’ with Robert Kraft
• Bill Belichick appeared on ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ announced he will be a part of NFL Draft coverage
• Bill Belichick is still surprised that this Patriots star fell to team in first round
• Report: Bill Belichick is biding his time for a shot at these three NFC teams
• Rafael Devers dodges injury, but Red Sox get bad news on Garrett Whitlock
• The 2024 NFL Draft could have a record-breaking first round. Here’s why.
• ‘He’s the ultimate winner’: Michigan head coach offers rebuttal to J.J. McCarthy doubters
• Coby White scores career-high 42 points to help Bulls beat Hawks in play-in game
• Joel Embiid leads 76ers to win over Heat in play-in tournament to earn No. 7 seed
• MBTA to run special event train service for Revolution-Inter Miami CF match
• NBA bans Jontay Porter after gambling probe shows he shared information, bet on games

Some more about Wednesday’s Belichick-Kraft story: Following the release of ESPN’s story about Bill Belichick’s failed offseason search to find a new head coaching position, one of its authors spoke about some of the background surrounding the story (including Robert Kraft’s alleged actions).

On this day: In 1962, the Celtics outlasted the Lakers 110-107 in overtime to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals, clinching a fourth consecutive championship (and fifth in six seasons).

Bill Russell dominated the game, totaling 20 rebounds in each half to tie a finals record (with 40 in all). He finished with a team-high 30 points. And while he was a 56% free throw shooter over the course of his career, Russell came through in the clutch for Boston, going 14-of-17 at the line.

Daily highlight: Though it was possibly a last-ditch effort from Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, he still managed a memorable goal-line save in the 2-1 Dallas win over the Blues on Wednesday.

Trivia answer: Clay Buchholz