'I got beat': McCullers denies pitch-tipping at fault

PHILADELPHIA -- There was talk, mostly rooted successful Bryce Harper's pre-at-bat speech with Alec Bohm, that Lance McCullers Jr. mightiness person been tipping his pitches connected Tuesday night. There was speech that the nine-day layoff, further prolonged by Monday's postponement, mightiness person played a portion successful the starter looking uncharacteristically rusty. McCullers didn't privation to perceive immoderate of it.

"I got whupped," helium said. "End of story."

McCullers got bushed successful a mode nary antheral ever has this clip of year. He gave up 5 location runs, the astir ever allowed by a azygous pitcher successful a azygous postseason outing, and made it a constituent to disregard immoderate excuses successful the aftermath of the Houston Astros' 7-0 defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies successful Game 3 of the World Series.

"We got bushed up beauteous bad, and I got bushed beauteous bad," McCullers said. "I evidently wanted to transportation well, and transportation overmuch amended than I did, but astatine the extremity of the day, each I tin bash astatine this constituent is get acceptable to spell for a imaginable Game 7."

The Astros volition request to triumph 2 of these adjacent 3 games to get there. The Phillies, who won 19 less regular-season games, person grabbed a 2-1 Series pb by completing an improbable five-run comeback successful Game 1 and ne'er letting the Astros respire successful Game 3.

Harper, slashing .382/.414/.818 successful these playoffs, turned connected a first-pitch, hanging breaking shot and lined it to close tract to springiness the Phillies a 2-0 pb successful the archetypal inning. Bohm past led disconnected the 2nd by lining a first-pitch sinker retired to left, and Brandon Marsh followed with different solo homer connected a 2-0 slider, putting the Astros successful a 4-0 hole.

The emphatic blows came successful the fifth, conscionable aft McCullers had seemingly settled in. Kyle Schwarber waited connected a 1-2 changeup somewhat down and launched it 443 feet to straightaway halfway field, clearing the arborvitae trees. Five pitches later, Rhys Hoskins turned connected a slider to springiness the Phillies back-to-back location runs and a 7-0 lead.

McCullers exited then, possibly a small aboriginal than helium should have. Astros manager Dusty Baker had fto him spot the apical of the Phillies' lineup a 3rd time, adjacent though helium was intelligibly reeling earlier.

"He had had 2 bully innings, 2 existent bully innings," Baker said, referencing the 3rd and 4th innings, erstwhile McCullers retired six consecutive batters. "And past they deed a blooper, a homer, and past I couldn't get anybody loose. I mean, it was my decision."

McCullers spent astir of the 2022 play recovering from a setback to the flexor pronator strain that made him unavailable for the last 2 rounds of past year's playoffs. He returned successful mid-August and instantly pitched effectively, posting a 2.27 ERA done 8 regular-season starts and a 2.45 ERA successful his archetypal mates of postseason appearances. He fell wrong the apical 15% successful crushed shot percent and location tally complaint among those who made astatine slightest 5 starts -- and past helium saw the implicit other play retired successful his astir important appearance.

McCullers denied that pitch-tipping was astatine fault.

"This has thing to bash with tipping," helium said, dismissing speculation that began with Harper getting successful Bohm's receptor moments earlier helium deed the archetypal McCullers transportation helium saw for a location run.

The Astros' co-pitching coach, Joshua Miller, echoed akin thoughts.

"We didn't place thing circumstantial today," Miller said. "It's thing that we ever show and look into."

But McCullers nevertheless approached this outing with a precise predictable trait: Through his archetypal 2 postseason starts, helium had thrown lone 1 fastball to opposing left-handed hitters. Lefties were fundamentally capable to constrictive their enactment to either McCullers' curveball oregon breaking ball, the 2 pitches helium throws astir often, and they hardly missed their chances. Three of the homers McCullers gave up -- to Harper, Marsh and Schwarber -- were to left-handed hitters. He totaled conscionable 1 plaything and miss against lefties successful Game 3, a motion to Miller that his curveball, his champion transportation against them, was not sharp.

"Listen," McCullers said, "I americium who I am. I'm going to propulsion a batch of off-speed. Everyone knows that."

One-hundred and eighty-seven starting pitchers threw astatine slightest 750 pitches this season, and lone 1 of them, Edward Cabrera of the Miami Marlins, threw fastballs little often than McCullers, who threw either a cutter oregon sinker conscionable 32.3% of the time. Against lefties, that complaint dropped to little than 25% -- and became adjacent much pronounced successful the postseason.

McCullers said helium didn't similar the determination connected his curveball to Harper but that the prime of his pitches was bully enough.

"I would cheque connected the iPads; my worldly was there," McCullers said. "The question was there. The location, for the astir part, was there. I made a mates mistakes, and unluckily for me, they deed it retired of the ballpark."

Before Tuesday night, McCullers hadn't allowed a location tally connected immoderate of the 651 off-speed pitches helium had thrown this season. Then 4 of them went out. The Phillies had seen him adjacent the extremity of the regular season, erstwhile McCullers pitched six innings of one-run shot connected Oct. 3, and had gathered amended intel connected the signifier of his breaking balls.

If McCullers pitches again, it'll beryllium successful Game 7, from Houston, connected Sunday night.

The Astros request to gain their mode there.

"I inactive judge if we get to that point, I'm the champion feline to instrumentality the ball," McCullers said. "I conscionable got to transportation better. That's it."