Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck prematurely exited against the Yankees after taking a line drive to his face in a scary scene mid-way through Friday’s contest at Fenway Park.
Houck, making his 13th start of the season, was in the midst of a solid outing as Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka approached the plate to start the fifth inning.
Higashioka made contact with a 92 mph sinker from Houck on his fourth pitch, sending the ball flying back into the right-hander’s face at a reported exit velocity of 89.7 mph. Houck immediately went down and clutched his face as Boston’s training staff tended to him on the mound.
