Houston Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. had a poor start on Saturday. He shouldn't have gotten what happened next.
After allowing eight hitters facing the Cincinnati Reds to win seven runs, an emotional McCullers told reporters at a post-match meeting that he was threatened with death against his two children on social media.
McCullers' comments:
“It’s been a tough night. I know people are very enthusiastic, people love astronauts and sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is hard to deal with.
"So, like my father, I think over the years, there were a lot of threats that were mainly targeting me, and I think actually one or two of the other problems around baseball actually had to go to jail for something like this. But I think I think bringing the kids into the equation and threatening to find them, or the next time they see us in public, they'll stab my kids, kids like that, and hear as hard as dads."
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McCullers is right, people face legal implications for similar incidents, and a notable example is a betting influencer who was threatened by players on flooding Tampa Bay Rays and sentenced to six months of family detention. While this is a gambling obsessed person, McCullers mentioned that Astros showed it was a Houston fan or fan, posing a threat.
Behind Jose Altuve, McCullers is the Astros' second-largest player and spins in both the 2017 and 2022 World Series Championships. Although the Astronauts cheat scandal cast a shadow on the 2017 championship, it was also the start of the playoffs in the club's history where McCullers had two wins in the club, winning the victory again.
Lance McCullers Jr. is still working hard after missing multiple seasons of arm issues. (Troy Taormina-Imagn image)
(Connected via Reuters/Image from Reuters)Astros manager Joe Espada specifically pointed out McCullers’ contributions and sacrifices, while regretting what happened after the game:
“I just left my office and unfortunately, Lance McCullers, some people threatened his life and the lives of their children because of their performance.
"It's very unfortunate that we have to deal with this. After all, he finished this team for the city, we have to talk about this fact in the office, and I have kids. It's really driving me crazy. It's sad. It's very sad."
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McCullers are usually effective on mounds but have been injured for years. He missed the 2023 and 2024 seasons due to arm issues and only started on Saturday's second season. He started his first start on Sunday's 915 day, throwing a 3 2/3 point-free division against the Chicago White Sox.
McCullers faced eight batsmen on Saturday, recording only one batsman, and ended up with 10 innings for the Reds. Cincinnati continued to win 13-9, improving Houston's record to 19-19.
Espada urged patience to get McCullers right and confirmed that the right-hander will make the next rotation turn on Chandler Rome in the sport.