Houston Astros ace Lance McCullers Jr. not available for World Series

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. throws during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Lynne Sladky, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

HOUSTON – Houston Astros ace starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. told reporters on Monday he will not be available to pitch during the World Series.

The star pitcher had left Game 4 of the ALDS in Chicago on October 12 after 4 innings and 73 pitches with a forearm strain and hasn’t pitched since. He was not on the Astros’ ALCS roster but was on the taxi squad just in case for emergency call-up.

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But on Monday, McCullers made it clear for what any expectations of a comeback from injury should be heading into the World Series.

“I’m not going to be able to make it, not going to be able to make it to the roster for the World Series,” McCullers said. “With the type of strain that I have in my forearm, it’s typically 6-8 weeks before you pick up a ball. We remained hopeful. We tried to push it as far as we could, but just couldn’t make it back to throwing.”

Before the injury, in two postseason starts spanning 10.2 innings, McCullers was 1-0 with a 0.84 ERA. In the regular season, McCullers had a 13-5 record with a 3.16 ERA, with 185 strikeouts in 162.1 innings pitched.

“It’s disappointing,” he said. “But I’m just going to keep doing what I can do and have all the faith in our team and the guys we have out there and try to win a World Series.”

Game 1 of the World Series begins on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park. The complete schedule can be found here.

RELATED: WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE: Here’s when to watch the Houston Astros play the Atlanta Braves for the championship


About the Author:

Born in Canada but raised in Houston, Howard joined KPRC 2 in 2021 after five years at ESPN. Before that, Howard was a reporter on Houston Rockets and Houston Astros game broadcasts. Among the events that Howard has covered on site: the NBA bubble and the Basketball Hall of Fame inductions for both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. He's H-town proud!