Lance McCullers Jr., the top pitcher for the Houston Astros, will start Game 4 instead of Game 3 of the ALCS. According to Bob Nightengale, the choice to start Christian Javier over McCullers was made because of a slight injury McCullers sustained after the Astros’ victory over the Seattle Mariners.
McCullers reportedly claimed that he “caught a spare champagne bottle to the elbow bone,” according to Nightengale. The pitcher’s scheduled appearance was postponed, but it is anticipated that he will be fine.
Still, this Lance McCullers injury is unexpected. According to Bob Nightengale, he detailed exactly what took place throughout the celebration.
As the group passed by, “some men were sort of coming back behind me,” Lance McCullers recalled. “The bottle just happened to kind of touch the rear inside part of my elbow as the folks were moving by.” “We weren’t acting irrationally,”
There is no doubt that the injury is unfortunate. However, things could have been far worse. The Astros are undoubtedly happy. McCullers doesn’t have to be absent for a long period of time. He plays a crucial role in their rotation.
This postseason, Lance McCullers is not the only player to suffer an injury while having fun. After celebrating a Bryce Harper home run during the NL Wild Card series, Phillies reliever David Robertson was forced to miss the NLDS.
Celebrations are enjoyable and essential. After winning a playoff series, teams are entitled to pop a few bottles. But it’s important to urge prudence. The last thing a team wants after winning is for a crucial player to sustain a terrible injury.
The article Why an Astros champagne celebration caused Lance McCullers’ ALCS start to be postponed originally ran on ClutchPoints.
