Lance McCullers Jr.

In that same span, McCullers also became the first Astros pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1984 to allow no earned runs over at least five innings pitched in each of four consecutive appearances.

For the month of May, McCullers won his first American League (AL) Pitcher of the Month Award.

He was credited with a 4–0 record over six starts.

He permitted an AL-leading 0.99 earned run average (ERA), 21 hits, and a .164 batting average against (BAA) with 37 strikeouts.

He also ranked second in wins, third in BAA, and tied for fifth in strikeouts.

The Astros placed McCullers on the disabled list (DL) due to a back injury, and he returned on June 24.

He was selected to the All-Star Game, finishing the first half of the season with a record of 7–2 and 106 strikeouts.

With a recurring back injury, McCullers returned to the DL after July 30, after posting a 7.45 ERA and 1–5 record in between DL stints.

Lance Graye McCullers Jr. (born October 2, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB).

This sent the Astros to their first World Series since 2005 to face the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In a key moment in this game, after losing command and walking a batter, he threw 24 consecutive curveballs to retire the last six Yankees in a row.

In the World Series, McCullers drew the start in Game 3 and again in Game 7.

The Astros won the Series in the seventh game for the first title in franchise history.

From May 6–23, he delivered 22 scoreless innings, which among Astros pitchers, was the longest scoreless inning streak since Roy Oswalt completed 32 from August 27 through September 11, 2008.

The Astros selected McCullers in the first round of the 2012 MLB draft.

He was named the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year in 2012.

The Houston Astros selected McCullers in the first round, with the 41st overall selection, of the 2012 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft.

He signed with the Astros, receiving a $2.5 million signing bonus.

McCullers pitched for the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Class A Midwest League in 2013, winning the Midwest League championship.

For the 2014 season, McCullers was promoted to the Lancaster JetHawks of the Class A-Advanced California League.

The JetHawks went on to become the 2014 California League champions after beating the Northern Division champion Visalia Rawhide.

He made his MLB debut in 2015, and was an All-Star in 2017.

McCullers graduated from Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida.

McCullers began the 2015 season with the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Class AA Texas League.

The Astros promoted him to the Fresno Grizzlies of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League on May 14, and, on the following day, announced that he would make his major league debut on May 18.

In his major league debut, McCullers allowed one run, three walks and three hits while striking out five batters in 4 2⁄3 innings and took a no-decision in the Astros' 2–1 loss to the Oakland Athletics.

McCullers threw his first career complete game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 3, 2015.

He remained in the Astros rotation and finished with 22 starts.

McCullers began the 2016 season on the disabled list with shoulder soreness.

He finished the season 6–5 in 14 starts.

The Astros assigned McCullers to the starting rotation at the outset of 2017 season.

On October 21, 2017, McCullers pitched four scoreless innings in relief and earned his first career save in a 4–0 win over the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS.

McCullers began the 2018 season in the rotation, going 10–6 through 22 starts before landing on the disabled list on August 5 with discomfort in his right elbow.

After missing more than a month because of the injury, he returned towards the last two weeks of the regular season in a bullpen role, appearing in three games.

He threw a curve 47.4% of the time, tops in MLB.

On November 6, 2018, McCullers underwent Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow and was ruled out for the entire 2019 baseball season.

McCullers completed his rehab from Tommy John surgery in early November 2019.

In 2020, McCullers was 3–3 with a 3.93 ERA.

He pitched 55 innings with 56 strikeouts in 11 starts.

On March 24, 2021, McCullers and the Astros agreed to a five-year, $85 million contract extension that included a $3.5 million signing bonus.