Lance McCullers shines in season debut, 7 strong innings as Astros beat Red Sox
HOUSTON (AP) — After years of injuries and struggles, Lance McCullers looked like his old self Monday night, pitching seven strong innings to help Houston get a win over the Red Sox. McCullers (1-0), who missed the 2023 and ’24 seasons with injuries, allowed four hits and a run with nine strikeouts in his season debut for his longest outing since 2022. The home crowd gave the longtime Astro a nice ovation as he left the mound after his best start in years.
His big game came after he went 2-5 with a career-high 6. 51 ERA in 16 appearances last season. “Last year was obviously tough and I think I just carried the weight every start and so this year I’ve just been just really focused on just trying to not worry about the past or the future and just enjoy the moment,” he said.
“Go out there and compete as hard as I can. ” The right-hander’s performance was big for a team that had to rely on its bullpen a lot through the first four games. “That’s what the Astros needed right there,” manager Joe Espada said.
“And Lance delivered. ” McCullers retired the first seven batters before Carlos Narváez singled with one out in the third. But Ceddanne Rafaela grounded into a double play to end the inning.
McCullers struck out the side in the fourth and fanned Willson Contreras to open the fifth. Wilyer Abreu singled after that, but Caleb Durbin grounded into a double play to end the inning. There were runners at first and third with two outs in the seventh when Abreu hit a ground-rule double to make it 5-1.