Sometimes it’s painful to relive bad things that happened to you. Other times, you wear it around your neck in the form of a chain.
It’s not a true saying, but it might be from Tanner Houck, who decided to create a 3D mold of his face after he suffered a facial fracture. He then attached said mold to a chain and is now sporting it.
No, seriously.
The Boston Red Sox pitcher was struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of Kyle Higashioka during a June 16 game against the New York Yankees. He immediately fell to the ground as the ball bounced toward third base.
Here’s video of the unfortunate incident. The two rival teams remained quiet and waited to see how Houck would fare.
He received stitches at Fenway Park before heading to Mass General Hospital for an MRI and more tests.
Houck required surgery to insert two tiny plates along, and under, his eye on the cheekbone.
He returned to the Red Sox rotation 65 days later to face the Houston Astros a week ago. He struck out Jose Altuve to start the game.
Here’s another angle of the chain, because we obviously need it.
Houck appears to be in great spirits.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.