BOSTON — In a scary scene that hushed the home crowd, Red Sox starter Tanner Houck left Friday’s game against the Yankees after he was struck in the face by a line drive.
Cruising along with a 13-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning, Houck had his face bloodied by the liner — with an exit velocity of 89.7 miles per hour — off the bat of Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka.
The ball ricocheted towards third base for an infield single as Houck dropped to his knees and immediately put his hands over his face.
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Houck was surrounded by teammates and attended to by by trainers, and the 26-year-old righty got to his feet and departed the mound on his own power with a towel covering what appeared to be a large cut on his right cheek.
Grounds crew members cleaned blood off the mound while reliever Joe Jacques warmed up to the side before the game continued, with the Red Sox later announcing Houck suffered a facial contusion.
Houck, who is 3-6 with a 5.05 ERA in 13 starts this season, allowed one run on four hits with one walk with two strikeouts.
