Lance McCullers has a problem with Joe Kelly, joining a long line of Astros
McCullers was just the latest Houston Astro to call out Joe Kelly for his actions, which resulted in a five-game suspension and was reduced from the previous MLB-imposed eight contests. The Astros World Series champion, a title that still irks many around baseball who thought Houston should’ve been forced to forfeit their championship, went on the Starkville Podcast with Jayson Stark and let loose about Kelly’s actions and intent, even using some fightin’ words against the very man who chose to aim a baseball directly at his teammates.
“He started that issue with what he said after he struck Carlos out – not going to repeat it,” McCullers Jr. said. “Citing the ‘Oh, I didn’t get close.’ Joe was scared. Carlos isn’t the right dude to mess with. It is what it is. I’m beyond it. He got his five games.”
McCullers appears anything but “past it” as much as he wants to believe that
If McCullers is having a tough time getting over Kelly’s antics, imagine how the rest of baseball feels about the Astros’ actions. McCullers does have some level of understanding as to why opposing MLB teams, specifically the Dodgers, might be upset, but he does make a good point that Kelly wasn’t even on that 2017 Los Angeles squad.
“Throwing 97 mph fastballs at guys’ heads isn’t the way it’s done,” McCullers said. “If you are going to be the person that carries the big stick, if you’re going to be the holier than thou, you better do it the right way. That was, I think, our biggest issue with it.”
There is no right way to throw a baseball as hard as you can at an opposing player with intent. That doesn’t exist. Unfortunately for McCullers and the Astros, they’re dealing with the wrong side of baseball’s unwritten rules. Perhaps that’s what happens when you break the written rules as intently as they did.