The Houston Astros capped off their weekend series with a dominant 6-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon, securing the series victory and pushing their record above .500.
But despite the bounce-back performance, much of the weekend’s attention was drawn to an alarming off-field issue involving starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.
McCullers, who returned to the mound this season for the first time since 2022, endured a disastrous outing on Saturday, lasting just one-third of an inning while surrendering seven earned runs.
The Astros quickly fell into a 10-0 deficit and eventually lost the high-scoring affair 13-9. After the game, McCullers revealed that he and his family had received death threats from fans following the performance.
“I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with,” McCullers said.
“There have been many, many threats over the years aimed at me mostly, and I think actually one or two people from other issues around baseball actually have had to go to jail for things like that.
“But I think bringing kids into the equation, threatening to find them or next time they see us in public they’re going to stab my kids to death … things like that are tough to hear as a dad.”
Unsurprisingly, the scary situation prompted a fierce defense from manager Joe Espada.
“There are people who are threatening his life and the life of his kids because of his performance. It is very unfortunate that we have to deal with this,” Espada said.
“After all he’s done for this city, for his team, the fact that we have to talk about that in my office – I got kids too, and it really drives me nuts that we have to deal with this. Very sad. Very, very sad.”
McCullers had shown promise in his return, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings in his season debut against the Chicago White Sox, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out four.
It was a hopeful sign for the former All-Star, who had been sidelined for over two years due to injury. But his struggles on Saturday were a stark reminder of the challenges of returning to form at the highest level.
“Listen, he hasn’t pitched in 2½ years,” Espada continued. “It’s going to take a little bit of time to get him going. And that’s fine. But this can’t happen. I’m really upset that this can happen to athletes.”
The Astros’ resounding win on Sunday offered a measure of redemption, improving their record to 20-19 as they look to build consistency in a competitive American League West.
Up next, Houston will host the Kansas City Royals, who arrive after dropping two of three to the Boston Red Sox.
What are your thoughts on the scary situation involving McCullers???
