FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE + LEISURE
PITCH PERFECT
LANCE MCCULLERS STEPS BACK ONTO THE MOUND
By Tim Moloney | Photography by Brian Styles
Coming off a season plagued by elbow and shoulder injuries , Houston Astros pitcher LANCE MCCULLERS , JR . is ready to get back in the game . “ I did my second bullpen today , so my arm is good . I ’ m looking forward to spring training . Going into spring training healthy is nice ,” says the affable 23-year-old .
But first , before he and his wife KARA head down to the new training facility in West Palm Beach , Florida ( that the team shares with the Washington Nationals ), they ’ ve got to load up their two rescue dogs in the car for the cross-country drive . “ We ’ re going to be there for a while , and they go everywhere with us ,” says Kara . In fact , Mr . and Mrs . McCullers share a passion for pet rescue . The relatively new Houstonians partner with causes like Houston Pets Alive to raise awareness and funds for animal adoptions and no-kill sanctuaries . The Lance McCullers Jr . Foundation works toward just that .
Let ’ s get back to baseball . You probably already know Lance ’ s name . That ’ s because he shares it with his father , also a pro MLB player from 1985 – 1992 . But just because the MLB was in his DNA , playing ball , for Lance , was not a foregone conclusion . “ This is what I wanted to do ; it wasn ’ t pre-ordained or anything ,” he says .
And he ’ s good at it . Drafted straight out of Jesuit High School in Tampa , Florida , when he graduated in 2012 , the younger McCullers was named the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year in that year . The Astros selected him in the first round of the 2012 draft . Bringing him up in farm teams , he joined the big leagues in May 2015 .
“ Houston ’ s a really cool city . Kara and I like it a lot , especially the restaurants . It reminds me a lot of Tampa , the fan base here is great , and with the team ’ s recent success , it just keeps getting better ,” he says .
Something you might not know : “ During the season , if I ’ m pitching , I ’ ll go watch a movie before I pitch . We like the iPic at River Oaks District . When you get up early , it ’ s a long day before you pitch at 7:30 , and you have a lot of time to think about the night . Seeing a movie keeps my mind off it . I see a lot of kids ’ movies , alone ,” he laughs . It ’ s a striking admission from a pitcher who ’ s mature beyond his years . march 17 | LOCAL 55