The Houston Astros didn't turn to him to start the game, but they turned to Lance McCullers to end it. It was poetic justice for the pitcher, who seemed upset with the choice not to start him on short rest for Game 7 of the ALCS, as manager A.J. Hinch turned the ball over to Charlie Morton instead. Both men did their jobs, though, with McCullers making some history along the way. As a result, Houston will be moving on to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
McCullers slams the door
Morton did an incredible job keeping the New York Yankees off the scoreboard for the first five innings of the game.
He struck out five, giving up just two hits and a walk, but when the sixth inning came around, Hinch decided it was time for a change; in an elimination game, there was no reason not to pull out all the stops. So, he decided to pitch McCullers, who played for the Astros as recently as three days ago.
From the second he stepped on the mound, McCullers was dealing. In his four innings, he struck out six, allowing just one hit and a walk, and zero runs. His strategy was to throw his knuckle curve over and over again -- according to Statcast, he used it for approximately 75% of his pitches on the night. It worked, as the Astros won 4-0 to advance to the World Series.
McCullers became just the second pitcher to record a 4+ inning save in a Game 7 of the MLB postseason, joining San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner.
As a 24-year old, he also became the youngest pitcher to throw at least three shutout innings in a Game 7 since John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves over a quarter century ago.
Lance McCullers Jr. is 24 years old. Last pitcher that young to throw 3+ scoreless IP in any Game 7? John Smoltz in 1991 World Series. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 22, 2017
After the game, McCullers talked about why he threw 24 straight curveballs to close out the game, claiming that he was always going to go with his best pitch to get the job done.
The Astros will be grateful -- at least for the next few days.
Astros dream of titles
The Astros made some history of their own on Saturday night, becoming the first team to win both the American League pennant and the National League pennant. That history pales in comparison to what the team wants to do, though. They've only made one appearance in the World Series and have never won it.
They'll look to change that when they travel to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers on Tuesday.
For a city still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, this World Series appearance means a lot. Houston will throw their full support behind the Astros this week.
