Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck is the only player in franchise history to wear No. 89. On Tuesday, he revealed the reason behind the number he has worn throughout his two seasons in Boston.
There really isn't one.
In an appearance on Instagram Live, Houck explained that he was assigned the number during his first spring training with the Red Sox, and the rest was history.
"They called me up this year, and they were like 'Hey, do you want to switch your number?' And I didn't even think about it," he said. "I didn't think they were going to ask me that question, to be honest. So I was like, 'Nah, I'll just keep it. Why not? It's fun.'"
While the number originally held no significance to the former Missouri star, who was a crucial piece of the Red Sox pitching staff in 2021 -- his first full season in the majors -- he plans to move forward with it for the foreseeable future.
"I've kind of grown kind of sentimental to it," Houck said Tuesday. "I made my debut in it, pitched my first full year in it, so why not just keep rolling with it?"
If you were debating buying a t-shirt or jersey with Houck's name and number, it seems like you won't be regretting it any time soon.
