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The Houston Astros dropped a game on Saturday, 12-9, to the Cincinnati Reds. It was a poor showing for starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. as he gave up seven runs in 0.1 innings of work.
McCullers Jr. revealed after the game that he and his family had received death threats. The Astros star called out those who made threats toward his family members.
Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. said he and his family received threats on social media after his poor outing during Saturday’s 13-9 loss against the Reds.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 11, 2025
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"It's been a tough evening," McCullers said. "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."
Astros manager Joe Espada released a statement on the matter. The manager opened his post-game press conference by discussing the ongoing situation.
"I just left my office, and it's very unfortunate that there are people who are threatening his life and the life of his kids because of his performance," said Espada, who at one point slammed the dais in anger.
"It's very unfortunate that we have to deal with this. After all he's done for this city, this team, the fact that we have to talk about that in my office, I got kids, too. It really drives me nuts. It's very sad. Very, very sad."
Major League Baseball had said that they are aware of the situation and are looking into it. The league is communicating directly with the Astros on the subject.
McCullers Jr. had just returned to the Astros' pitching staff after a very long absence due to flexor tendon surgery. The right-hander had a few setbacks along the way, and the team was very happy to see him return to the mound.
Through his two appearances this year, McCullers Jr. has posted an ERA of 15.75 over four innings of work. The right-hander shut out the Chicago White Sox over 3.2 innings in his first start last week.
Far too often, we see some fans take things well over the line, and this is one of those instances. Sports can have a certain effect on people, but this is never acceptable.
Hopefully, the death threats stop, and McCullers Jr. can feel safe taking the mound again.
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For more MLB news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
About the writer
Matt Levine works as a contributing writer for Newsweek based in California. His expertise is in covering the NBA but ... Read more