THANKS, LANCE!
Lance McCullers gives lucky fans free tickets to World Series
Oct 22, 2019, 1:08 pm
The fiery McCullers is passionate about giving back to fans. Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images
This article originally appeared on CultureMap.
Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers, Jr. may not be playing in the World Series, but the fiery fan favorite and local philanthropist is still very much part of the action.
McCullers, who was a pivotal and impactful piece of the 2017 Astros squad that clinched the World Series title, has been in Florida rehabbing following Tommy John surgery on his elbow. While the pitcher has been impressively returning to form, he's also been watching for Astros fans who are going above and beyond — and rewarding them.
It started with Forrest Magee, a Houstonian and a long-time Astros fan, whose hilarious (and relatable) excited reaction to a play during Game 4 of the ALCS went viral.
"I was watching the game and I was like, 'Man, it's really cool that that kid is sitting by himself in New York and repping the Astros like that,' McCullers tells CultureMap. McCullers asked for ways to contact Magee on social media, reached out to Magee on Twitter, and thanked him and invited him to a game, offering him two tickets.
Then there was the ugly moment that also went viral, when a trio of Astros fans were bullied and harassed during Game 5 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium. Cruz Arcia, Jr., Nathan Rocha, and Kristina Contreras had beer, popcorn, and other food dumped on them and were nearly assaulted by Yankees fans before security stepped in.
McCullers stepped in, too, offering Arcia two tickets to a World Series game. "As a player for the Astros our fans are an extension of our community and our family that we have in the clubhouse," says McCullers. "They're the ones who support us. So, I wanted to make it right. I wanted them to know that I appreciate them going on the road and supporting us — because that's financially expensive and can be intimidating going into opposing stadiums to support a team. I wanted to make it right for them getting their game messed up, and also wanted them to know that I appreciate them supporting us."
His generosity doesn't stop there—he's also offered a chance at four World Series tickets through his Lance McCullers Jr. Foundation. "We're helping animals, which I'm really passionate about, and giving animal enthusiasts and Astros fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he says.
For McCullers, the generosity is about his chance to interact with fans and give back. "Not everyone has the kind of platform that a lot of guys on our team have," he says. "I think everyone on our team uses it responsibly and for good."
The 25-year-old also sees a chance to leave his mark long after his days in an Astros uniform are over. "One day, there will be new players wearing Astros jerseys, there'll be new reporters taking to players, new guys winning games and winning homers," he says.
Continue on CultureMap for McCullers' thoughts on how the World Series will play out.
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Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.
Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.
He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.
Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.
Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.
The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.
“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”
And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.
Astros plate discipline
Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.
Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.
Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.
Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.
What is Dana Brown saying privately?
Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
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