McCullers relishes Bronx’s big stage
NEW YORK — Lance McCullers Jr., has pitched in plenty of big playoff games for the Astros, including the biggest in franchise history when he recorded the first seven outs in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. He’ll add another to the list when he starts Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday with a chance to finish off a sweep of the Yankees.
“Any time you have an opportunity to help send your team to the World Series, it’s special, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” McCullers said shortly after the Astros shut out the Yankees 5-0 in Game 3 on Saturday.
Before his ALCS start was set up to be an elimination game, McCullers already had called his upcoming appearance special because it will be at Yankee Stadium.
“New York baseball, especially when I was growing up, it’s the Mecca, pinnacle, of the baseball sports world,” said the 29year-old, who will face off against Yankees All-Star Nestor Cortes. “My whole life I grew up watching the Yankees, Red Sox, all of those great rivalries and those great teams, so I’m very excited. This will be my second postseason start in New York. I’ve pitched here a couple other times. I’ve always enjoyed it.”
McCullers’ other playoff start here was in Game 4 of the 2017 ALCS when he limited the Yankees to one run in six innings and left the game with a 4-1 lead, which the bullpen eventually coughed up in a 6-4 loss. His biggest postseason moment against the Yankees came four days later however when he threw four shutout innings to earn a Game 7 save in which he famously finished the game by throwing 24 straight curveballs.
A member of the New York media asked McCullers to retell that story before Game 3. McCullers gladly went through the details of landing awkwardly after a pitch and feeling pain in his left hip. As he started to struggle with his fastball, he told catcher Brian McCann his leg hurt every time he tried to throw the heater.
“He said, ‘Well, let’s just try going for the breaking ball,’ and I threw the first breaking ball and I was like, ‘Oh, that didn’t hurt.’ I threw it again and I was like, ‘Yeah, that didn’t hurt either.’ So I just kind of kept rolling with it,” McCullers said. “That was a special type of night for me and kind of an event. I don’t know if I’ll be able to top that. I think I’m more of a little bit of a complete pitcher now to rip off 24 in a row, but you never know.”
McCullers might have started Saturday’s game if he hadn’t been hit in the elbow by a champagne bottle during his team’s clubhouse celebration in Seattle last weekend. Although McCullers said his “elbow is fine,” he said the injury was like a bone bruise that caused some swelling where he had Tommy John surgery in 2018.
“I feel really good,” McCullers said Saturday. “I don’t think it’s going to be an issue at all. When the game gets rolling, you know, we’re full go.”
And, now he can be the one to send the Astros to their fourth World Series in the past six years. After all, only one team has ever overcome a 3-0 postseason deficit in baseball history.
“One’s too much for me, so let’s win tomorrow,” McCullers said.