Latest news with #McCullers
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Lance McCullers Jr. Reveals 5-Year-Old Daughter's Heartbreaking Question Amid Ongoing Death Threats
Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. is taking serious steps to protect his family after receiving alarming death threats from fans upset over his recent performance. The 31-year-old right-hander, who returned to the mound this season after missing two years due to injury, revealed this week that the threats became extremely severe. Advertisement In fact, they aimed some of their threats at Lance McCullers Jr.'s 5-year-old daughter, Ava. Lance McCullers Jr.'s Daughter Asks, 'Who Wants To Hurt Me?' Amid Disturbing Death Threats 'She asked me when I came home, 'Daddy, like, what is threats? Who wants to hurt us? Who wants to hurt me?'' McCullers shared in a candid interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday, May 28. 'So those conversations are tough to deal with.' McCullers said the threats, which reportedly included graphic messages about harming his children, began after a rocky outing on May 10 against the Cincinnati Reds. During the game, he surrendered seven runs and recorded just one out before being pulled. Advertisement 'I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports,' McCullers said. 'But threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with. Threatening to find them or saying next time they see us in public they're going to stab my kids to death, things like that, it's tough to hear as a dad.' Astros Step In After McCullers Jr. Receives Chilling Threats Kim Hukari/Image of Sport/Newscom/MEGA The situation quickly escalated to a point where the MLB player reached out to the Astros organization. In response, team owner Jim Crane stepped in and offered personal security for the family. 'You have to at that point,' McCullers said of accepting the offer. Advertisement Astros manager Joe Espada also addressed the situation, calling the threats 'very unfortunate' and urging fans to consider the human side of the game. 'There are people who are threatening his life and the life of his kids because of his performance,' Espada said. 'It's very unfortunate that we have to deal with this.' Joe Espada Praises Lance McCullers Jr.'s Return Amid Threats Ray Stubblebine/UPI Newscom/MEGA Espada reminded fans of McCullers' significant contributions to the franchise's success over the years. The veteran pitcher played key roles in the Astros' World Series victories in both 2017 and 2022, making his current return from injury all the more admirable. Advertisement 'He hasn't been on the mound in almost two years,' Espada said. 'It's going to take time.' McCullers has made five starts this season, battling his way back into the rotation after a long road of recovery. Though the early results haven't been ideal, he's focused on moving forward, both on and off the field, with his family's safety and well-being at the forefront. The situation is currently under investigation by the Houston Police Department and MLB security, with a police spokesperson confirming Thursday that the case remains active. MLB Stars Speak Out As Online Abuse Grows Unfortunately, McCullers is not alone in facing this kind of harassment. Associated Press reported that Boston Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks recently took to social media to share that he, too, had received vile messages, including death threats directed at his wife, following a poor performance. Advertisement As the trend of online abuse intensifies, fellow players are speaking out in support of McCullers and raising awareness about the emotional toll it takes. Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich, a 13-year MLB veteran and former National League MVP, told reporters the issue has become disturbingly routine. 'I think over the last few years it's definitely increased,' Yelich said. 'It's increased to the point that you're just: 'All right, here we go.' It doesn't even really register on your radar anymore. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing… It's not just me. It's everybody in here, based on performance.' Lance McCullers Jr. Focused On Family Safety And Comeback After Threats While McCullers is focused on getting back to full strength after nearly two years away from the mound, he's also prioritizing his family's safety amid the chaos. The pitcher, who was a key part of the Astros' World Series-winning teams in 2017 and 2022, has made five starts so far this season and continues to work his way back into top form. Advertisement Despite the challenges, McCullers remains grateful for the support he's received and is committed to ensuring his loved ones stay protected. 'It's tough to hear as a dad,' he said. 'But you do what you have to do.'
NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Lance McCullers gets 24-hour security after online death threats, some aimed at 5-year-old daughter
HOUSTON — Soon after Lance McCullers Jr.'s family received online death threats following a tough start by the Houston Astros' pitcher, his 5-year-old daughter, Ava, overheard wife Kara talking on the phone about it. What followed was a painful conversation between McCullers and his little girl. 'She asked me when I came home: 'Daddy like what is threats? Who wants to hurt us? Who wants to hurt me?'' McCullers told The Associated Press on Wednesday. 'So, those conversations are tough to deal with.' McCullers is one of two MLB pitchers whose families have received online death threats this month as internet abuse of players and their families is on the rise. Boston reliever Liam Hendriks took to social media soon after the incident with McCullers to call out people who were threatening his wife's life and directing 'vile' comments at him. The Astros contacted MLB security and the Houston Police Department following the threats to McCullers. An police spokesperson said Thursday that it remains an ongoing investigation. McCullers, who has two young daughters, took immediate action after the threats and reached out to the team to inquire about what could be done to protect his family. Astros owner Jim Crane stepped in and hired 24-hour security for them. It was a move McCullers felt was necessary after what happened. 'You have to at that point,' he said. Players from around the league agree that online abuse has gotten progressively worse in recent years. Milwaukee's Christian Yelich, a 13-year MLB veteran and the 2018 NL MVP, said receiving online abuse is 'a nightly thing' for most players. 'I think over the last few years it's definitely increased,' he said. 'It's increased to the point that you're just: 'All right, here we go.' It doesn't even really register on your radar anymore. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. You're just so used to that on a day-to-day, night-to-night basis. It's not just me. It's everybody in here, based on performance.' And many players believe it's directly linked to the rise in legalized sports betting. 'You get a lot of DMs or stuff like that about you ruining someone's bet or something ridiculous like that,' veteran Red Sox reliever Justin Wilson said. 'I guess they should make better bets.' Hendriks, a 36-year-old reliever who previously battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma, said on Instagram that he and his wife received death threats after a loss to the Mets. He added that people left comments saying that they wished he would have died from cancer among other abusive comments. He later discussed the issue and his decision to speak out about it. 'Enough is enough,' he said. 'Like at some point, everyone just like sucking up and dealing with it isn't accomplishing anything. And we pass along to security. We pass along to whoever we need to, but nothing ends up happening. And it happens again the next night. And so, at some point, someone has to make a stand. And it's one of those things where the more eyes we get on it, the more voices we get talking about it. Hopefully it can push it in the right direction.' Both the Astros and the Red Sox are working with MLB security to take action against social media users who direct threats toward players and their families. Red Sox spokesperson Abby Murphy added that they've taken steps in recent years to make sure player' families are safe during games. That includes security staff and Boston police stationed in the family section at home and dedicated security in the traveling party to monitor the family section on the road. Murphy said identifying those who make anonymous threats online is difficult, but: 'both the Red Sox and MLB have cyber programs and analysts dedicated to identifying and removing these accounts.' The Astros have uniformed police officers stationed in the family section, a practice that was implemented well before the threats to McCullers and his family. For some players, online abuse has gotten so bad that they've abandoned social media. Detroit All-Star outfielder Riley Greene is one of them, saying he got off because he received so many messages from people blaming him for failed bets. 'I deleted it,' he said of Instagram. 'I'm off it. It sucks, but it's the world we live in, and we can't do anything about it. People would DM me and say nasty things, tell me how bad of a player I am, and say nasty stuff that we don't want to hear.' The 31-year-old McCullers, who returned this year after missing two full seasons with injuries, said dealing with this has been the worst thing that's happened in his career. He understands the passion of fans and knows that being criticized for a poor performance is part of the game. But he believes there's a 'moral line' that fans shouldn't cross. 'People should want us to succeed,' he said. 'We want to succeed, but it shouldn't come at a cost to our families, the kids in our life, having to feel like they're not safe where they live or where they sit at games.' Houston manager Joe Espada was livid when he learned about the threats to McCullers and his family and was visibly upset when he addressed what happened with reporters. Espada added that the team has mental health professionals available to the players to talk about the toll such abuse takes on them and any other issues they may be dealing with. 'We are aware that when we step on the field, fans expect and we expect the best out of ourselves,' Espada said this week. 'But when we are trying to do our best and things don't go our way while we're trying to give you everything we got and now you're threatening our families and kids - now I do have a big issue with that, right? I just did not like it.' Kansas City's Salvador Perez, a 14-year MLB veteran, hasn't experienced online abuse but was appalled by what happened to McCullers. If something like that happened to him he said it would change the way he interacts with fans. 'Now some fans, real fans, they're gonna pay for that, too,' he said. 'Because if I was him, I wouldn't take a picture or sign anything for noboby because of that one day.' McCullers wouldn't go that far but admitted it has changed his mindset. 'It does make you kind of shell up a little bit,' he said. 'It does make you kind of not want to go places. I guess that's just probably the human reaction to it.' While most players have dealt with some level of online abuse in their careers, no one has a good idea of how to stop it. 'I'm thankful I'm not in a position where I have to find a solution to this,' Tigers' pitcher Tyler Holton said. 'But as a person who is involved in this, I wish this wasn't a topic of conversation.' White Sox outfielder Mike Tauchman is disheartened at how bad player abuse has gotten. While it's mostly online, he added that he's had teammates that have had racist and homophobic things yelled at them during games. 'Outside of just simply not having social media I really don't see that getting better before it just continues to get worse,' he said. 'I mean, I think it's kind of the way things are now. Like, people just feel like they have the right to say whatever they want to whoever they want and it's behind a keyboard and there's really no repercussions, right?' --- AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick and AP Sports Writers Jimmy Golen, Kyle Hightower, Larry Lage and Steve Megargee contributed to this report.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Astros' Lance McCullers adds 24-hour security after online threats; MLB players say abuse occurs nightly
Following online death threats received by Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers and directed toward his two children, team owner Jim Crane hired 24-hour security for his family, the Associated Press reports. McCullers received the threats after his May 10 start versus the Cincinnati Reds in which he allowed seven runs in 1/3 of an inning (facing eight batters). It was his second appearance since returning from flexor tendon surgery in June 2023. Advertisement After McCullers received the threats, he went to Astros management to ask what actions could be taken. In addition to Crane hiring protection, the team contacted MLB security and the Houston Police Department. Police told the Associated Press that an investigation into the threats is ongoing. McCullers subsequently deleted his account on X. Roughly 10 days after McCullers received his threats, Boston Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks revealed that he and his wife had been threatened on social media after he gave up three runs in 2/3 of an inning to the New York Mets on May 21. Hendriks returned this season after missing last season after Tommy John surgery and most of the 2023 campaign while undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. "Just as an FYI: Threats against my life and my wife's life are horrible and cruel," Hendriks wrote on Instagram. "You need help. Leaving comments to tell me to commit suicide and how you wish I died of cancer is disgusting and vile." The threats to McCullers and Hendriks are the latest examples of a disturbing trend in which MLB players say online abuse has increased and become heightened in recent years, occurring on a nightly basis. Many of them have deleted their social media accounts because of it. They attribute the rise to legalized sports betting with fans lashing out at players for losing on wagers. Hendriks publicly responded to the abuse in an Instagram story and said he did so because not enough is being done to address the situation. "Everyone just like sucking up and dealing with it isn't accomplishing anything," he said to the AP. "And we pass along to security. We pass along to whoever we need to, but nothing ends up happening. And it happens again the next night. "At some point, someone has to make a stand," he continued. "And it's one of those things where the more eyes we get on it, the more voices we get talking about it." Advertisement Teams have taken steps to identify those who make threats online, though finding them is admittedly difficult. In the meantime, the Astros and Red Sox have increased security and police presence in sections where players' families are seated at home and road games, in addition to adding personnel in traveling parties. 'We want to succeed, but it shouldn't come at a cost to our families, the kids in our life, having to feel like they're not safe where they live or where they sit at games," McCullers said. The Astros' right-hander had his best game of the season in his last start, striking out 12 batters in six innings versus the Athletics on May 28.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Astros' Lance McCullers details heartbreaking talk with daughter after death threats: ‘Who wants to hurt us?'
HOUSTON — Soon after Lance McCullers Jr.'s family received online death threats following a tough start by the Houston Astros' pitcher, his 5-year-old daughter, Ava, overheard wife Kara talking on the phone about it. What followed was a painful conversation between McCullers and his little girl. 'She asked me when I came home: 'Daddy like what is threats? Who wants to hurt us? Who wants to hurt me?'' McCullers told The Associated Press on Wednesday. 'So, those conversations are tough to deal with.' Advertisement 6 Lance McCullers Jr.'s family received online death threats following a tough start to the season. Getty Images 6 McCullers and wife Kara are parents to two daughters. Instagram McCullers is one of two MLB pitchers whose families have received online death threats this month as internet abuse of players and their families is on the rise. Boston reliever Liam Hendriks took to social media soon after the incident with McCullers to call out people who were threatening his wife's life and directing 'vile' comments at him. Advertisement The Astros contacted MLB security and the Houston Police Department following the threats to McCullers. An police spokesperson said Thursday that it remains an ongoing investigation. McCullers, who has two young daughters, took immediate action after the threats and hired 24-hour security for his family. 'You have to at that point,' he said. Abuse increasing with rise in sports gambling Players from around the league agree that online abuse has gotten progressively worse in recent years. Milwaukee's Christian Yelich, a 13-year MLB veteran and the 2018 NL MVP, said receiving online abuse is 'a nightly thing' for most players. Advertisement 6 Liam Hendriks of the Boston Red Sox said he and his wife have also been subjected to death threats. Eric Canha-Imagn Images 'I think over the last few years it's definitely increased,' he said. 'It's increased to the point that you're just: 'All right, here we go.' It doesn't even really register on your radar anymore. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. You're just so used to that on a day-to-day, night-to-night basis. It's not just me. It's everybody in here, based on performance.' And many players believe it's directly linked to the rise in legalized sports betting. 'You get a lot of DMs or stuff like that about you ruining someone's bet or something ridiculous like that,' veteran Red Sox reliever Justin Wilson said. 'I guess they should make better bets.' Hendriks has had enough Advertisement Hendriks, a 36-year-old reliever who previously battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma, said on Instagram that he and his wife received death threats after a loss to the Mets. He added that people left comments saying that they wished he would have died from cancer among other abusive comments. He later discussed the issue and his decision to speak out about it. 'Enough is enough,' he said. 'Like at some point, everyone just like sucking up and dealing with it isn't accomplishing anything. And we pass along to security. We pass along to whoever we need to, but nothing ends up happening. And it happens again the next night. And so, at some point, someone has to make a stand. And it's one of those things where the more eyes we get on it, the more voices we get talking about it. Hopefully it can push it in the right direction.' What teams are doing Both the Astros and the Red Sox are working with MLB security to take action against social media users who direct threats toward players and their families. Red Sox spokesperson Abby Murphy added that they've taken steps in recent years to make sure player' families are safe during games. That includes security staff and Boston police stationed in the family section at home and dedicated security in the traveling party to monitor the family section on the road. Murphy said identifying those who make anonymous threats online is difficult, but: 'both the Red Sox and MLB have cyber programs and analysts dedicated to identifying and removing these accounts.' The Astros have uniformed police officers stationed in the family section, a practice that was implemented well before the threats to McCullers and his family. Abandoning social media For some players, online abuse has gotten so bad that they've abandoned social media. Detroit All-Star outfielder Riley Greene is one of them, saying he got off because he received so many messages from people blaming him for failed bets. Advertisement 'I deleted it,' he said of Instagram. 'I'm off it. It sucks, but it's the world we live in, and we can't do anything about it. People would DM me and say nasty things, tell me how bad of a player I am, and say nasty stuff that we don't want to hear.' 6 Lance McCullers said he spoke to his daughter over the matter and added, 'Those conversations are tough to deal with.' Instagram Criticism is part of the game, threats are not The 31-year-old McCullers, who returned this year after missing two full seasons with injuries, said dealing with this has been the worst thing that's happened in his career. He understands the passion of fans and knows that being criticized for a poor performance is part of the game. But he believes there's a 'moral line' that fans shouldn't cross. 'People should want us to succeed,' he said. 'We want to succeed, but it shouldn't come at a cost to our families, the kids in our life, having to feel like they're not safe where they live or where they sit at games.' Advertisement Houston manager Joe Espada was livid when he learned about the threats to McCullers and his family and was visibly upset when he addressed what happened with reporters. Espada added that the team has mental health professionals available to the players to talk about the toll such abuse takes on them and any other issues they may be dealing with. 6 Lance McCullers returned this year after missing two full seasons with injuries Erik Williams-Imagn Images 'We are aware that when we step on the field, fans expect and we expect the best out of ourselves,' Espada said this week. 'But when we are trying to do our best and things don't go our way while we're trying to give you everything we got and now you're threatening our families and kids — now I do have a big issue with that, right? I just did not like it.' Advertisement Kansas City's Salvador Perez, a 14-year MLB veteran, hasn't experienced online abuse but was appalled by what happened to McCullers. If something like that happened to him he said it would change the way he interacts with fans. 'Now some fans, real fans, they're gonna pay for that, too,' he said. 'Because if I was him, I wouldn't take a picture or sign anything for noboby because of that one day.' McCullers wouldn't go that far but admitted it has changed his mindset. 6 Lance McCullers with his family in October 2024. Instagram Advertisement 'It does make you kind of shell up a little bit,' he said. 'It does make you kind of not want to go places. I guess that's just probably the human reaction to it.' Finding a solution While most players have dealt with some level of online abuse in their careers, no one has a good idea of how to stop it. 'I'm thankful I'm not in a position where I have to find a solution to this,' Tigers' pitcher Tyler Holton said. 'But as a person who is involved in this, I wish this wasn't a topic of conversation.' White Sox outfielder Mike Tauchman is disheartened at how bad player abuse has gotten. While it's mostly online, he added that he's had teammates that have had racist and homophobic things yelled at them during games. 'Outside of just simply not having social media I really don't see that getting better before it just continues to get worse,' he said. 'I mean, I think it's kind of the way things are now. Like, people just feel like they have the right to say whatever they want to whoever they want and it's behind a keyboard and there's really no repercussions, right?'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Astros pitcher Lance McCullers receives death threats after loss to Reds
Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers says he and his family were subjected to death threats after he gave up seven runs in the first inning of Saturday night's 13-9 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. A team spokesperson said the Astros have notified the Houston Police Department and Major League Baseball security about the comments made on social media. Advertisement "I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with," McCullers said after Saturday's game. He and his wife, Kara, have two young daughters. "I think bringing kids into the equation, threatening to find them or next time they see us in public they're going to stab my kids to death, things like that, it's tough to hear as a dad." McCullers, a 2018 All-Star who has battled a number of injuries over the past few years, finally returned to the Astros active roster on May 4, pitching for the first time since the 2022 World Series. Advertisement Saturday's game was only his second start since returning. In the Reds' 10-run first inning, McCullers allowed a three-run homer to Elly De La Cruz and RBI hits from Tyler Stephenson and Will Benson before he was removed after getting only one out. In just his second appearance since the 2022 World Series, Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. allowed three hits, three walks and seven earned runs in 1/3 of an inning on May 10 against the Cincinnati Reds. Astros manager Joe Espada was visibly upset as he addressed the media after Saturday's game. "There are people who are threatening his life and the life of his kids because of his performance," Espada said. "It is very unfortunate that we have to deal with this. After all he's done for this city, for his team, the fact that we have to talk about that in my office – I got kids too, and it really drives me nuts that we have to deal with this. Very sad. Very, very sad. Advertisement "Listen, he hasn't pitched in 2½ years. ... It's going to take a little bit of time to get him going. And that's fine. But this can't happen. I'm really upset that this can happen to athletes." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lance McCullers Jr. gets death threats after poor start vs. Reds
