Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr says fans were 'threatening to find my kids and murder them' after bad start

Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. said his team’s fans person turned connected him successful the worst way. 

After a unsmooth commencement connected Saturday, wherever helium allowed 7 earned runs successful conscionable one-third of an inning pitched against the Cincinnati Reds, McCullers said helium received decease threats from Astros fans online. 

"I recognize radical are precise passionate and radical emotion the Astros and emotion sports, but threatening to find my kids and execution them is simply a small spot pugnacious to woody with," the 31-year-old right-hander said. "So, conscionable arsenic a father, I deliberation determination person been many, galore threats implicit the years aimed astatine maine mostly, and I deliberation really 1 oregon 2 radical from different issues astir shot really had to spell to jailhouse for things similar that. 

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. walks disconnected the mound aft a pitching alteration during the archetypal inning against the Cincinnati Reds astatine Daikin Park. (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)

"But I deliberation bringing kids into the equation, threatening to find them oregon adjacent clip they spot america successful public, they’re going to stab my kids to death, things similar that, it’s pugnacious to perceive arsenic a dad."

Houston Police Department and MLB information person some been alerted to the threats against McCullers, the enactment said. 

This was lone McCullers’ 2nd commencement for the Astros since the 2022 World Series, arsenic he’s been battling done respective injuries implicit the past 2 seasons. 

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It was disastrous from the commencement arsenic Elly De La Cruz deed a three-run homer aft McCullers walked TJ Friedl and deed Matt McLain with a transportation to commencement the game. McCullers got an retired pursuing the location run, but 2 much walks and 2 hits aft that rapidly turned the crippled to a 5-0 lead. 

Manager Joe Espada had to propulsion the plug connected McCullers, but the basal runners connected 2nd and 3rd were inactive his responsibility. They came crossed aboriginal successful the 10-run archetypal inning for Cincinnati.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. walks disconnected the mound aft a pitching alteration during the Cincinnati Reds crippled astatine Daikin Park. (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)

Espada besides spoke connected the decease threats against his seasoned starter. 

"There are radical who are threatening his beingness and the beingness of his kids due to the fact that of his performance," Espada explained. "It is precise unfortunate that we person to woody with this. After each he’s done for this city, for his team, the information that we person to speech astir that successful my bureau – I got kids, too, and it truly drives maine nuts that we person to woody with this. Very sad, very, precise sad."

McCullers is simply a two-time World Series champion trying to find consistency connected the mound erstwhile again. His wounded problems began successful outpouring grooming successful 2023, erstwhile a musculus strain successful his pitching limb unopen him down. Then, successful June of that year, helium underwent season-ending country to repair a flexor tendon successful his limb arsenic good arsenic region a bony spur. 

McCullers’ rehab didn’t spell arsenic planned either. In July 2024, helium was unopen down from throwing and it was announced helium would miss the full season. He would yet get his accidental backmost connected the mound connected May 4, wherever helium threw 3 scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. reacts aft a transportation against the Cincinnati Reds astatine Daikin Park. (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)

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"If you fail, you neglect connected a precise ample signifier (with) a batch of eyes and there’s obscurity to hide," McCullers added. "At the extremity of the day, I conscionable privation to bash my job. I conscionable privation to beryllium a bully pitcher for the Astros, and I judge I’ll get there. But, similar I said, I conscionable deliberation that having to interest astir that, interest astir leaving municipality and leaving them and things similar that oregon dropping her disconnected astatine school, I conscionable think… determination should beryllium immoderate benignant of decency."

McCullers, who made the All-Star squad successful 2017, owns a vocation 3.55 ERA with the Astros, adjacent aft his unsmooth outing connected Saturday. He besides has a 3.47 ERA successful 19 postseason games, each with Houston. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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