McCullers 'pretty proud' of scoreless return, but hungry for growth

CHICAGO -- Considering it had been 915 days since Lance McCullers Jr. had put on an Astros uniform and pitched in a meaningful game, the fact he was able to take the mound and compete for the first time in 2 1/2 years meant more to him than anything else he accomplished Sunday afternoon.

McCullers, making his first start since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, battled through 87 pitches while fighting his slider and still managed to throw 3 2/3 scoreless innings at Rate Field in the Astros’ 5-4 loss to the White Sox in 6 1/2 innings. The game was called after a 1-hour, 20-minute rain delay.

With friends and family watching, McCullers allowed three hits, walked three hitters and struck out four batters, while going two times through the White Sox lineup.

“From where I’ve come the last couple of years, especially where I was early this offseason, I would lie to you guys if I didn’t say I was pretty proud of myself getting back,” he said. “At the same time, I expect more out of myself and I know I’ll be better as the starts progress.”

McCullers missed the 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, injured his flexor tendon in Game 4 of the ‘21 AL Division Series against the White Sox in Chicago and spent most of the next season rehabbing.

He underwent surgery in June 2023 to repair a flexor tendon and suffered a setback last season before another rehab led to him throwing in a game during Grapefruit League play this spring. Still, he didn’t feel any extra emotions in his return to competitive action.

“I didn’t feel overly nervous or anything like that,” he said. “I didn’t feel overly emotional, per say, but it has been a very long road for me. It’s been a grind to get back to this point. I know I have to do a better job of controlling the pitch count and getting quick outs and things like that.”

McCullers relied mostly on his changeup (28 pitches) and sinker (25), while mixing in his slider (17) and curve (16). He said his sinker and changeup were “excellent,” while praising the effectiveness of his curveball. The pitch he wasn’t happy with was his slider, which he gave an 'F' grade.

“Two things can be true at the same time,” he said. “I know I need to make strides and continue to get my feet under me and I can also feel proud of getting back to this point knowing that I didn’t have my main pitch today. … I gave our team a solid chance, at least while I was in there.”

McCullers pitched around two singles in the first inning and escaped after issuing two walks and hitting a batter (all with two outs) in the second. After a 1-2-3 third inning, he gave up a leadoff double to Andrew Vaughn in the fourth and a two-out walk to Joshua Palacios. Tayler Scott relieved him and got the final out in the fourth.

“I thought he went out there and competed his butt off,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “I was really happy and very proud of him. I know there was a lot of emotions, a lot of things were going through his mind. But I think he pitched well.”

McCullers lamented the two-out mess he got into in the second inning, which drove his pitch count up to 55. He threw 33 pitches in the second inning alone.

“Physically, I felt strong through the game and wish there in the second, after a couple of quick outs, I did a better job,” he said. “I let the inning get long on me. That’s kind of the main issue with the pitch count. Throwing another 20-plus pitches in the second. I was one pitch away from getting out of there in the mid-30s.”

When it came to his velocity, McCullers doesn’t throw as hard as he did earlier in his career, which is now 10 years in. His sinker averaged between 91.8-93.8 mph and could improve with reps.

“If I can execute the slider a little bit better, if I can pick my spots to execute heaters a little better, as well, I think I’ll be fine,” he said. “I don’t need to rely on the velo, per say, but it’s always nice if you throw harder.”