As Tanner Houck worked later and later into his start on Wednesday night, he knew he was closing in on something special.

But it wasn’t until after he’d finished the first complete game and shutout of his Major League career that the right-hander found out he’d just thrown the first Maddux – a complete-game shutout on fewer than 100 pitches, named for Hall of Famer Greg Maddux – by a Red Sox pitcher in nearly a decade (Clay Buchholz, August 2014).

“I’d actually never heard of the term,” Houck told the Herald the next morning. “Having the comparison to Maddux and having the statement is truly special.”

The achievement also put him in an elite section of franchise history. Houck’s was only the sixth Maddux ever by a Red Sox pitcher at Fenway; Josh Beckett had two in 2009, joining Derek Lowe (’02), Danny Darwin (’93) and Roger Clemens (’88).

“It’s super cool,” Houck said. “Obviously, this organization is very historic, long history of amazing pitchers. To have an outing like that, truly special.”

Complete games were once a dime a dozen. Cy Young, namesake of MLB’s most prestigious pitching award, holds the all-time record 749 complete games. He averaged 30 such contests per 162-game season over his 22-year career with the Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Browns, Red Sox, Cleveland Naps, and Boston Braves. Last season, there were 21 complete-game shutouts thrown around the league, and Framber Valdez and Gerrit Cole were the only pitchers to achieve the feat more than once.

In this era of baseball, complete games are few and far between and shutouts are rare. There were eight Maddux in 2015, no more than four in a season since.

Never mind one that only took an hour and 49 minutes. The Red Sox righty pitched the shortest nine-inning MLB game since June 2, 2010, when Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga came within one out of a perfect game, and settled for a one-hitter. Houck’s was also the fastest Maddux completed with at least nine strikeouts since the man himself, on Aug. 20, 1995.

In a 162-game season, people try not to fixate too much on a single contest; a player’s campaign should neither be defined by one great game nor a poor outing. But for Houck such a game matters in more ways than one, and the accomplishment merits celebration.

First, because of the years of blood, sweat, and tears that go into becoming a Major League Baseball player and sustaining a big-league career.

“It’s a lot of time of hard work and many years, months, hours, days, every second of continuing to try and get better and put all the pieces together,” he said.

Doing so requires good health – never guaranteed,  especially for pitchers nowadays – and an increased understanding of what makes a player the best version of himself on the mound.

“I feel 100 percent healthy and my body control, my body just feels a lot more in-sync than it ever has been,” said Houck, who underwent season-ending back surgery in ’22 and missed two months of ’23 with a facial fracture from a line-drive to the head.

“Not over-throwing” has been key, Houck said. “In a game today where so many people are throwing up triple digits in terms of fastballs, I kind of had to look at myself in the mirror and realize that I’m not a guy that does that.

“I can reach back and reach some of the higher numbers, but whenever I do it, I spray it. If I throw 91-95 (mph), it’s a lot more controlled, it’s a lot more sustainable. I’ll never say that I’ve pinpointed control, but it’s definitely a more in-sync and just overall better version of me.”

Then there’s the fact that none of this was given to Houck. He’s been fighting to prove he can be a legitimate starting pitcher for most of the last half-decade.

Though the righty debuted as a starter during the shortened 2020 season – making three impressive performances of at least five innings apiece against the Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves between Sept. 15 and 26 – it was only the beginning. He made 13 starts and five relief appearances in ’21, then spent almost the entire ’22 campaign in the bullpen, starting only four times, finishing 14 games, and earning eight saves.

He wasn’t supposed to have a spot in last year’s rotation, either, but when Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock, and James Paxton all began the season on the injured list, he got a chance. And as Chris Sale and Corey Kluber struggled early on, he stepped up.

Looking back, Houck is grateful for the varied experience a non-linear path brings.

“The cool thing is – with doing what I’ve done over the past few years – I’ve worn many hats and seen many different roles, many different situations,” he said. “From closing games to starting games, I feel like I’ve seen every scenario that you can have under the sun. So I’ve had many different lessons that I’ve learned because of that.”

This spring, Houck again reported to Fort Myers to compete for a rotation spot. And even now that he finally seems firmly established, he’s far from satisfied.

“I’m not complacent at all,” he said. “I know I can continue to get better and continue to improve.”

That mindset makes Houck a perfect fit for one of the most exacting, demanding, invested fan bases in sports.

“It’s a hard market, they expect a lot, but it just means that they’re passionate,” he said. “The fans care, and coming from my end that’s what you want.”

And when it’s the ninth inning and you’re standing on the mound at America’s oldest Major League ballpark on the precipice of greatness, it’s exactly the kind of fan base that takes the moment up a couple dozen levels.

“Definitely chills, sends a little shock down your spine a little bit, reminds you that you’re human,” he said. “Just an honor. This stadium, if it could talk, it could tell so many amazing stories, so many amazing outings. It was an honor to do it in front of Fenway and these fans.”