Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck Make History For the Boston Red Sox with Early Season Success

The Boston Red Sox are out to a surprising 19-16 start this season and part of the reason why is the history-making efforts of Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford on the mound.

Apr 28, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck (89) pitches / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Red Sox are out to a very surprising 19-16 start this season, which is a far cry from the last-place finish that was predicted by most experts before the season.

Boston has finished last in the American League East in three of the last four years and then has dealt with rampant injuries including season-enders to leaders Lucas Giolito and Trevor Story, which has made this run even more unpredictable.

Part of the reason for the Sox resurgence in 2024? A resurgent pitching group under new pitching coach Andrew Bailey and new Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow.

Rather than go out and sign big name pitchers this offseason like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, Boston opted for a more modest approach, focusing on internal improvement. Thus far, it's paid off, with Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck making huge strides forward.

Per @SoxNotes on social media:

This is the first time in the Live Ball Era the Red Sox have had two pitchers with a sub-2.00 ERA through their first 7 starts of a season.

Kutter Crawford (1.56)
Tanner Houck (1.99)

This is the first time in the Live Ball Era the Red Sox have had two pitchers with a sub-2.00 ERA through their first 7 starts of a season.

Kutter Crawford (1.56)
Tanner Houck (1.99)

— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) May 5, 2024

The "Live Ball Era" started more than 100 years ago, just to give a context as to how special those numbers are.

The 28-year-old Crawford made his major league debut in 2021 and has never had better than a 4.04 ERA, but he appears primed to beat that by a wide margin. As for Houck, the former first-round pick has been yo-yo'd between the rotation and bullpen since 2021, but he appears to have found a permanent home as well.

The Red Sox are off on Monday but will take on the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. First pitch is 7:20 p.m. ET.

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