Red Sox Pitcher Tanner Houck Slammed Over Vaccination Status After Team Blows Lead

The Boston Red Sox really could have used the services of reliever Tanner Houck on Tuesday night.

But being as Houck remains unvaccinated, he was unable to travel with the team to Toronto. And sure enough, the back end of the bullpen faltered on Tuesday against the Blue Jays, and the game ended with a Vlad Guerrero Jr. walk off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Lansing Lugnuts legend Vladimir Guerrero Jr walks off the Boston Red Sox pic.twitter.com/W9UhC57smP

— Calico Joe (@CalicoJoeMLB) June 29, 2022

Red Sox fans were clearly unhappy with the gutting loss, and took to social media to air their frustrations against Tanner Houck.

Most richly-deserved loss ever. Anti-vax Sox closer is back in Boston enjoying personal freedom, while Sox pen blows 5-4 lead in the 9th. Pen never got an out in the ninth. Sox are 2-7 vs. Jays, 7-16 vs. AL East. But everybody evidently ok with Tanner Houck quitting on team.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) June 29, 2022

Tanner Houck will do absolutely anything to help the Red Sox win, except make sure he's actually with the team and available when they really need him to close out a one-run game in Toronto

— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) June 29, 2022

The Jays missed the playoffs by one game last season. If the Red Sox miss by a game they can think about the 2 unvaxxed meatheads – Houck and Duran – who couldn’t make this trip to Toronto.

— Mike Lupica (@MikeLupica) June 29, 2022

Let's be clear: Houck chose to abandon his teammates. His personal freedom is more important. https://t.co/u4gFF9YiJx

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) June 29, 2022

Counting that as a blown save for Dr. Houck.

— Chad Finn (@GlobeChadFinn) June 29, 2022

I’m glad Tanner Houck is burning the midnight oil in the lab researching COVID-19 instead of “doing everything he can” to help the #redsox win in Toronto.

— Byron Magrane (@byronm19) June 29, 2022

Hey, @RedSox if @houck_tanner won't get vaccinated, cut or trade his a$$. Ditto Jarren Duran and Chris Sale. These f*ckers are letting their teammates and their city down.
Vaccines are safe, you dimwits.
Get your medical advice from doctors, not F*cker Carlson.

— Jim Mooney (@jt_mooney) June 29, 2022

On the year, Tanner Houck has put in a respectable 4-2 with a 3.42 ERA and six saves for a Red Sox team that appears to be finding their footing in recent weeks.

Sure, it’s easy for Sox fans to blame Houck and the other unvaccinated players after the loss in Toronto, but we’ll never know if the outcome would have been any different with him in the fold.

To this day, Tanner Houck has not gone in depth on his decision not to take the vaccine.

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