Tanner Houck has seen dozens of games at Busch Stadium over the years, and he’s even pitched on the field a few times as part of various showcase events growing up.

Yet while he’s not in line to take the mound for the Red Sox, this weekend will mark his first time back in his hometown ballpark as a big league pitcher.

A native of Collinsville, Illinois, Houck grew up a short drive from St. Louis and rose to stardom nearby at the University of Missouri. Since becoming the Red Sox first-round pick in 2017 and debuting late in the 2020 season Houck has twice pitched against the Cardinals, but both of those instances came at Fenway Park.

“It’s going to be great,” Houck said earlier this week. “Going back, seeing all my friends and family, growing up 20 minutes from there, I’m super pumped to go back and be down on the field. I’ve been to that stadium so many times watching games growing up, but now to go back as a player and do all that, it’ll definitely be fun.

“It does stink that I don’t get to go there and pitch,” he continued. “But at the same time it’ll be nice that I get to spend time with family and friends pregame and postgame, to soak in all the moments with them.”

Houck not getting to make a start in St. Louis was simply a matter of bad timing. He last pitched on Wednesday at Fenway Park, meaning his next time through the rotation wouldn’t come until Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg. Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta are instead scheduled to start against the Cardinals.

A similar situation happened with Bello during spring training, when he wasn’t lined up to pitch in the Red Sox exhibition series in the Dominican Republic, but getting to enjoy the comforts of home without focusing on making a start is a blessing in its own way.

The return to St. Louis will also be something of a full-circle moment for Houck. Not only is he coming home as a full-fledged big leaguer, but he’s enjoying the best stretch of his career and has ranked among the best pitchers in the sport through the first month and a half. Houck currently boasts a 2.17 ERA over 58 innings through his first nine starts, and at the rate he’s going Houck could factor into the All-Star conversation come mid-summer.

Weekends like this are exactly what Houck envisioned growing up on the ballfields around St. Louis all those years ago.

“To go back as a player and get to live out my dreams, I still remember being around all my friends and we always talked about how we wanted to be here one day,” Houck said. “So to now reach this point, it’s an honor, it’s great, and I hope I’m making them all proud.”