Police Uncovers ‘Overseas Resident’ as Source of Death Threats to Astros Pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.

The police have identified an intoxicated overseas bettor for sending death threats to Lance McCullers Jr. and his family online.

Police Uncovers ‘Overseas Resident’ as Source of Death Threats to Astros Pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.

Lance McCullers Jr. (Image via NBC News)

The MLB was left stunned after death threats were sent to Lance McCullers Jr. The Houston Astros pitcher, who recently returned to action, received some vile comments. As per reports, the police have now uncovered an ‘overseas resident‘ as the source of these threats.

On May 10, McCullers Jr. made his 2nd start of the season following his return to the league after being out for around 2.5 years. In the game against the Cincinnati Reds, the right-handed pitcher struggled and had an outing to forget.

The 2-time World Series winner with the Astros gave up 7 runs in the first inning. His side ended up losing that game 13-9 and fell to a 19-19 record for the season.

Following the game, McCullers Jr. revealed that he received some hateful comments. The 31-year-old claimed that the message threatened to “find his kids and murder them.“

The Astros would inform the Houston Police Department (HPD) and Major League Baseball security about the threats. The team would also provide 24-hour security to the pitcher and his family.

According to reports from The Athletic, the person who sent these threats was a bettor. He had lost money while betting on the Astros and was “frustrated and inebriated” when he made these threats against McCullers Jr. and his family. The man was also said to be intoxicated while he shared those messages.

The person would later relay an apology to McCullers Jr. and his family. As of now, no charges have been filed against him.

Lance McCullers Jr. picked up 12 strikeouts in recent outing

Coming back after a lengthy spell on the sidelines is never easy and after what transpired with Lance McCullers Jr. things became even more difficult. The Houston Astros star though was able to put that online abuse behind and picked up 12 strikeouts in his recent outing.

Lance McCullers Jr.
Lance McCullers Jr. (Image via MLB)

In the game against the Athletics, the pitcher made his 5th start of the season. He went on to deliver his best start since 2022 as he pitched 6 innings and managed to strike out 12 batters.

He did give up 3 runs on 5 hits in the game. However, the Astros scored 3 runs in the 7th inning, which eventually turned the game around and saw them emerge as 5-3 winners.

Through the 5 games he has started, McCullers Jr. has an 0-1 record so far. Despite that, he has been solid in his return from injury. His next start will be on June 3rd when the Astros take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Lance McCullers Jr. is not the only player to receive death threats in recent days

Over the past few days, online heckling has become a major concern for professional players. Lance McCullers Jr. received some hateful comments following his performances. Unfortunately, he has not been the only player who had to go through this.

Lance McCullers Jr.
Lance McCullers Jr. (Image via People)

A few days after the McCullers Jr. incident, another pitcher, Liam Hendriks, was targeted with death threats. The pitcher who returned to action following an injury and after battling cancer was subjected to some vile death threats online. He would later take to his Instagram account to slam the abusers.

Before that, in a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Guardians, a fan would heckle Jarren Duran and make some comments regarding his failed suicide attempt. The Guardians would later issue an apology to the player and the Red Sox organization.

Also Read: