COLUMBIA, Mo. - He returned to Portland after representing the Sea Dogs, a Boston Red Sox Double-A affiliate, as one of 11 pitchers on the Eastern Division roster in his first All-Star Game appearance. No stranger to dominance on the mound, former Mizzou Baseball RHP Tanner Houck completed his one inning outing with zero runs and two strikeouts. 

Little did Houck know, news of a bigger achievement was waiting for him back in Portland. 

Shortly after the all-star break, Houck was called into a meeting with the Sea Dogs' manager, pitching coach, pitching coordinator and minor league development coordinator. Together, the staff informed Houck of a change being made in his career.

After slightly over three months in a Sea Dogs uniform, Houck was promoted to the Red Sox' Triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Paw Sox. 

"They called me into the office and told me they liked the way I had been performing," Houck recalled. "Getting to go into the office was surreal, the moment was surreal and it was an honor to get the call to play at a higher level." 

During his time with the Sea Dogs, Houck pitched through 80.2 innings. He started in 15 of his 17 total appearances on the mound, compiling an 8-6 record with a 4.25 ERA and 80 strikeouts.

Since being drafted in the first round by the Red Sox in 2017, Houck has climbed through the organization's minor league system fairly quickly. 

Skipping over the Red Sox' rookie affiliate, he spent his first two minor league seasons with Single-A affiliates, the Lowell Spinners and the Salem Red Sox. 

In his third year split between the Sea Dogs and Paw Sox, Houck has managed to transform into being a jack-of-all trades. 

The former Mizzou standout was one of the teams' premier starting pitchers in his three years in Columbia. He continued to play the starter role after being drafted, but was then relocated into the bullpen once he reached Triple-A Pawtucket. 

"I had never pitched out of the bullpen before, but I'm always all in no matter what," Houck said. "Last year the bullpen was a test that showed that I could play both roles, which is key in this game." 

Before his professional career, Houck learned how to prosper and adapt quickly in a Tiger uniform. 

Former Mizzou Baseball head coach, Tim Jamieson, took notice of Houck's unique talent early. 

"He was good from day one and had all the physical attributes to compete, he just needed to get comfortable with college hitters," Jamieson recalled. "Since Tanner can throw the ball with command in the mid 90's, he just needed to be polished." 

Through his first-year campaign in 2015, Houck compiled an 8-5 record and garnered Freshman All-American honors. Into the summer he continued to soar under Team USA Baseball, pacing the team with a 2.65 ERA and 16.2 innings pitched.

In his 22 seasons as head coach at Taylor Stadium, Jamieson mentored countless future MLB competitors. Arguably the top Tiger of them all to emerge from Mizzou was three-time Cy Young Award winner, seven-time All-Star and 2019 World Series Champion, Max Scherzer. 

After working with Houck for two years, Jamieson observed similarities between the two Tiger pitching legends that supports their dominance. 

"Both are very dynamic, physical and athletic," Jamieson proclaimed. "Each year, Tanner made progression in the right direction and became stronger." 

The accolades continued to reel in during his next two seasons in the black and gold. 

As a sophomore, Houck garnered SEC Pitcher of the Week honors twice and later collected 2017 Preseason All-American accolades before starting his junior season. 

Current Mizzou Baseball head coach, Steve Bieser, had the opportunity to witness Houck's supremacy during his first year at the helm in the program. 

"I remember watching his first bullpen," Bieser recalled. "He was a very intimidating figure on the mound with his demeanor and the way he attacks. Watching his arm action and explosiveness was very impressive. I was quite taken back by his ability." 

Houck completed his junior season and final year as a Tiger by moving into fourth place in program history with his 292 career strikeouts.

His current professional baseball career became a reality on June 12, 2017. Houck became Mizzou Baseball's then-seventh all-time first round selection and its first since 2009. 

"We like to hang our hat on having those successful pitchers come out of this program and that goes way back to the start of Mizzou Baseball," Bieser said. "I was fortunate enough to have Tanner the year he was a first rounder and its really cool to have a label put on us that we can produce those talented pitchers." 

As the 24th overall selection in the 2017 MLB Draft, Houck became the ninth big league arm produced by Mizzou since 2003. 

Houck credits his time at Mizzou for giving him the ability to prosper at the next level. 

"Being at Mizzou was amazing because I developed both on and off the field which is so important," Houck said. "At Mizzou it boiled down to learning how to take care of myself, being flexible and sticking to a routine." 

Even though early September marks the conclusion of the minor league baseball season, more appearances by Houck on the mound were just beginning. 

Named one of seven players in the Red Sox system to participate in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, Houck joined the Peoria Javelinas, where he would become a key piece in their starting rotation. This particular league serves as an offseason spot for minor league players who are hand-picked by MLB organizations to fill out six teams until the end of October. 

"Going to the AFL meant I had to get used to throwing additional innings in a more developmental league," Houck said. "It was an honor to go and show that I have the longevity to throw on top of spring training." 

To continue his busy "offseason," Houck spent Nov. 2-17 as one of 28 individuals named to USA Baseball's World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 team. 

Previously, he competed for the U.S. Collegiate National Team in 2015 and 2016, making this his third appearance on a USA Baseball roster. 

"There is no better feeling than wearing red, white and blue to represent the country," Houck said. "USA Baseball has given me the opportunity to play for something bigger than myself, to play for the name on the front of the jersey." 

His unrestful time away from the Red Sox organization will come to a close on Feb. 11, as Houck will report to Fort Myers, Florida, as a non-roster invitee for Boston's big league spring training camp. 

While a career in the minor league system can be unpredictable, Houck knows how to stay locked-in and focused to gear up for the 2020 season ahead.  

"It boils down to focusing on the little things during spring training," Houck said. "I have to get into a routine early to prepare for all of the innings I'm going to throw, even when that means being flexible and adapting to change."