| Lance McCullers Jr. | |
|---|---|
 McCullers with theHouston Astros in 2017 | |
| Houston Astros – No. 43 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1993-10-02)October 2, 1993 (age 32) Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 18, 2015, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 51–37 |
| Earned run average | 3.70 |
| Strikeouts | 861 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Lance Graye McCullers Jr. (born October 2, 1993) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher for theHouston Astros ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). The Astros selected McCullers in the first round of the2012 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2015 and was anAll-Star in 2017.
McCullers graduated fromJesuit High School inTampa, Florida. He was named theGatorade National Baseball Player of the Year in 2012.[1]
TheHouston Astros selected McCullers in the first round, with the 41st overall selection, of the2012 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. He signed with the Astros, receiving a $2.5 millionsigning bonus.[2] That year he was 0–4.
McCullers pitched for theQuad Cities River Bandits of theSingle-AMidwest League in 2013, for whom he was 6–5, as the team won the Midwest League championship.[3] For the 2014 season, McCullers was 3–6 in the minor leagues, and was promoted to theLancaster JetHawks of theHigh-ACalifornia League.[citation needed]
McCullers began the 2015 season with theCorpus Christi Hooks of theDouble-ATexas League. The Astros promoted him to theFresno Grizzlies of theTriple-APacific Coast League on May 14, and, on the following day, announced that he would make his major league debut on May 18.[4]
In his major league debut on May 18,2015, McCullers allowed one run, three walks and three hits while striking out five batters in4+2⁄3 innings and took a no-decision in the Astros' 2–1 loss to theOakland Athletics.[5] McCullers threw his first careercomplete game against theBaltimore Orioles on June 3, 2015, reaching 11 strikeouts for the first time.[6] He remained in the Astros rotation and finished with 22 starts.
McCullers began the2016 season on thedisabled list with shoulder soreness.[7] He finished the season 6–5 in 14 starts.
The Astros assigned McCullers to the starting rotation at the outset of2017 season. From May 6–23, he delivered 22 scoreless innings, which among Astros pitchers, was the longest scoreless inning streak sinceRoy Oswalt completed 32 from August 27 through September 11,2008. In that same span, McCullers also became the first Astros pitcher sinceNolan Ryan in1984 to allow noearned runs over at least five innings pitched in each of four consecutive appearances.[8]
For the month of May, McCullers won his firstAmerican League (AL)Pitcher of the Month Award. He was credited with a 4–0 record over six starts. He permitted an AL-leading 0.99earned run average (ERA), 21 hits, and a .164batting average against (BAA) with 37 strikeouts. He also ranked second in wins, third in BAA, and tied for fifth in strikeouts.[8]
The Astros placed McCullers on thedisabled list (DL) due to a back injury, and he returned on June 24.[9] He was selected to theAll-Star Game,[10] finishing the first half of the season with a record of 7–2 and 106 strikeouts. With a recurring back injury, McCullers returned to the DL after July 30, after posting a 7.45 ERA and 1–5 record in between DL stints.[9]
On October 21, 2017, McCullers pitched four scoreless innings in relief and earned his first career save in a 4–0 win over theNew York Yankees in Game 7 of theALCS. This sent the Astros to their firstWorld Series since2005 to face theLos Angeles Dodgers.[11] In a key moment in this game, after losing command and walking a batter, he threw 24 consecutive curveballs to retire the last six Yankees in a row.[12] In the World Series, McCullers drew the start in Game 3[13] and again in Game 7.[14] The Astros won the Series in the seventh game for the first title in franchise history.[15]
McCullers began the2018 season in the rotation. He started on July 6, 2018, by holding theChicago White Sox hitless for the first5+1⁄3 innings on the way to setting a career-high with 12 strikeouts over 7 innings. He finished with 1 run allowed on 3 hits.[16] McCullers compiled a 10–6 W–L record through 22 starts before landing on the disabled list on August 5 with discomfort in his right elbow.[17] After missing more than a month because of the injury, he returned towards the last two weeks of the regular season in a bullpen role, appearing in three games. He threw a curve 47.4% of the time, tops in MLB.[18]
On November 6, 2018, McCullers underwentTommy John surgery to repair a tornUCL in his right elbow and was ruled out for the entire2019 baseball season.[19] He completed his rehab from Tommy John surgery in early November 2019.[20]
In2020, McCullers was 3–3 with a 3.93 ERA. He pitched 55 innings with 56 strikeouts in 11 starts.[21]
On March 24,2021, McCullers and the Astros agreed to a five-year, $85 million contract extension that included a $3.5 million signing bonus.[22] McCullers finished the 2021 season with a 13–5 record, a 3.16 ERA, and 185 strikeouts in162+1⁄3 innings over 28 starts. He led the major leagues with 76 walks and 4.21 walks per 9 innings.[23] He established new career highs or career bests to that point in his career in numerous categories, including in ERA, games won, games started, strikeouts, innings pitched, batters faced (684),hits per nine innings allowed (H/9, 6.8), andhome runs per nine innings (HR/9, 0.7). Among qualified pitchers, he led the AL in H/9 and HR/9, and ranked second in ERA.[24]
Following the regular season, the Houston chapter of theBaseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) named McCullers the Astros' team Pitcher of the Year, his first such award.[25]
During the2021 ALDS versus theChicago White Sox, McCullers was removed from Game 4 due to a right forearm injury.[26] He was unable to participate in the remainder of theplayoffs, in the which the Astros reached theWorld Series, and were defeated by theAtlanta Braves in six games.
Still recovering from the forearm injury, McCullers was diagnosed with a rightflexor tendon strain, and was unable to throw in spring training and missed the start of the2022 season.[27] On August 13, he made his season debut and earned the win after hurling six shutout innings versus theOakland Athletics. He allowed two hits, walked four, and struck out five.[28] McCullers went5+2⁄3 innings on September 2, allowing two runs, six hits, four walks and striking out seven to earn the win in a 4–2 final versusLos Angeles.[29] He hurled six innings on September 15, issuing four walks, two hits, and two runs as he struck out 11 Athletics, his most since July 29, 2018.[30] On September 21, McCullers worked seven innings versus his hometownTampa Bay Rays and was the winning pitcher, allowing two runs to lead the Astros in a 5–2 final score for the series sweep, their first-ever atTropicana Field.[31]
In 2022 for Houston, McCullers was 4–2 with a 2.27 ERA in47+2⁄3 innings in which he struck out 50 batters in eight starts.[32]
In the third game of theALDS, McCullers hurled the first six innings of a major league postseason-record 18-inning shutout and series-clinching sweep of theMariners. The game remained scoreless for an unprecedented 17 innings in postseason history—until rookieJeremy Peña homered in the top of the 18th to eventually win it for the Astros, 1–0.[33] In Game 4 of theALCS, he tossed 5 innings and allowed 3 runs to receive a no-decision as the Astros rallied to defeat theYankees, 6–5, for the clinching game and series sweep.[34] In Game 3 of theWorld Series versus thePhiladelphia Phillies, McCullers became the first pitcher in postseason history to allow five home runs in a game.[35] However, the Astros claimed the championship in six games to give McCullers his second World Series title.[36]
Duringspring training in2023, McCullers developed amuscle strain in his right arm, and was shut down from throwing until fully recovered. As a result, he missed the start of the regular season.[37] On June 14, 2023, he underwent season–ending surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his pitching arm and remove abone spur.[38] After he was shut down from throwing in July2024 while rehabbing, the Astros announced that McCullers would also miss the entire 2024 season.[39]
On January 25,2025, it was announced that McCullers would likely not be ready for Opening Day.[40] After a 915-day absence, he made his season debut on May 4, 2025, atRate Field versus theWhite Sox, and tossed3+2⁄3 scoreless innings with three hits, three walks allowed, and four strikeouts.[41] However, he surrendered 7 first-inning runs to theCincinnati Reds in his second start, which led to the eighth time in Astros franchise history that they had been scored upon at least 10 times in a single inning.[42] McCullers rebounded on May 28, matched his career-high of 12 strikeouts against theAthletics, yielding 3 runs over 6 innings as the Astros eventually mounted a comeback and won, 5–3.[43] He earned his 50th career win on June 3—and first since September 21, 2022—tossing six shutout innings while outduelingPaul Skenes in a 3–0 win versus thePittsburgh Pirates.[44]
| Award | Category | Result / Section | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | Pitcher of the Year | 2021 | [25] | |
McCullers' father,Lance Sr., also pitched inMajor League Baseball, for theSan Diego Padres,New York Yankees,Detroit Tigers, andTexas Rangers, from 1985 to 1992.[45] He is of Cuban descent through his mother.[46]
McCullers is aCatholic and spoke about his faith in a video for the Astros' Faith and Family Night in 2015.[47] McCullers married longtime girlfriend Kara Kilfoile in December 2015. Their first child, a daughter, was born in December 2019.[48] In 2016, the Lance McCullers Jr. Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established by McCullers and his family to advocate for stray and homeless animals.[49]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | American League Pitcher of the Month May 2017 | Succeeded by |
