LANCE TALKS TURKEY

Astros fan favorite pitches in to help needy locals for Thanksgiving

Astros fan favorite pitches in to help needy locals for Thanksgiving
Houston Astros ace Lance McCullers Jr. handed out turkeys to local families. Photo by Nelson Venegas

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

On a crisp Saturday morning, Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. happily posed for photos, shook hands, and passed out free turkeys to needy locals at the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Greater Houston headquarters near downtown. In all, some 150 turkeys were delivered to families who otherwise would've missed out on a Thanksgiving main course.

"We're glad to hand these out to people who work hard — they deserve a stress-free holiday," McCullers told CultureMap at the event. "I consider myself a Houstonian. I've lived here for four years. My daughter is about to be born here. This city has embraced me and my family — everywhere we go, people couldn't be more gracious to us."

Hoping to give back ahead of Thanksgiving, McCullers approached Big Brothers Big Sisters about lining up families who otherwise might not afford the single biggest expense on the traditional Thanksgiving dinner table: the turkey.

According to a 2018 study by the United States Department of Agriculture, 14.3 million Americans were food insecure throughout the year, a situation made all the more dire on a local level when the Houston Food Bank was forced to throw out nearly two million pounds of food worth $3 million, contaminated from an ammonia leak in one of its coolers. The turkeys were provided by ThrIVe Drip Spa.

For McCullers, the giveaway is all part of his belief in paying it forward, no matter how grand or modest the gesture. "People have a lot of things going on in their lives — work, family, stresses," he said. "You'd be surprised what a little can do. People really appreciate a little effort: hold the door for someone or just ask, 'Hey, how are you doing today,' smile at somebody — just give a little bit of grace."

Continue on CultureMap to read about McCuller's busy offseason.

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Astros reliever Tayler Scott has been DFAd . Composite Getty Image.

So far, in 2025, one thing is very clear about the Astros. Their pitching has carried this team, and is the big reason the club is above .500 while they wait for the bats to heat up.

But now the Astros are dealing with injuries to Spencer Arrighetti and Hayden Wesneski, during a tough stretch of the schedule where they intend to implement a six-man rotation.

In order to make room for Wednesday night's starter Colton Gordon, the Astros have decided to designate 2024 standout reliever Tayler Scott for assignment.

Scott was outstanding for Houston in 2024, posting a 2.23 ERA over 68.2 innings. However, Scott has not seen the same results in 2025, as he's sporting a 5.40 ERA in a bullpen full of elite options.

Outside of Scott, the Astros don't have another pitcher in the bullpen with an ERA over 2.70. So the club's decision to DFA Scott after a tremendous 2024 appears to be a move that had to be made.

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