Today is probably the wrong day for this post, but I am going to share it anyways because it is more enjoyable than discussing a team sitting 11 games under .500. All we know is that Lance McCullers is headed to the IL with yet another injury. With the 2026 season careening off the tracks, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on Lance’s legacy, since it does not seem like he or anyone else will be pitching meaningful innings this fall.
Lance should be synonymous with the golden era of Houston baseball. He was a central figure in the baseball renaissance in this city. His career will always be tied to Carlos Correa’s, from the draft to their rise to the majors and the title they helped bring home. Other parallels are easy to see as well, like leadership roles in the clubhouse and careers shaped and limited by injuries.
Unlike so many other stars, Lance chose Houston. He directed his agent to negotiate a contract before he could test free agency. This was always where he wanted to be. After multiple injuries kept him from living up to that deal, there has been a sense that he wanted one last chance to write his final chapter here in 2026. That chapter ending with one more injury feels like a sad but fitting part of the story for a player whose career has been filled with them.
It is worth remembering how many times he pitched through injuries. In the 2018 postseason he pitched with a torn UCL. In 2021 he pitched on a scheduled rest day to close out the White Sox and hurt himself again. He came back in 2022 and was incredible until a freak injury derailed him in the postseason once again. In the long run, that leave it all on the field mentality may have done more harm to his health and legacy than good.
Although this may not be the end of the road, it's certainly coming soon. Some will choose to remember him for the 24 consecutive curveballs, a pair of titles, the locker room speeches, and the postgame sound bites. Others will focus on a contract that went sideways and a guy who could not recapture the greatness of his youth.
Hey @PatMcAfeeShow , you met my daughter Scarlett in 2024 , she still talks about meeting you all the time!
Unfortunately last week we found out that after being off of treatment for 8 months her cancer has returned.
She will be spending the holidays in the hospital this year.
If possible, My wife and I would be extremely grateful if you could send her a motivational video or something.
Thank you again for the time you gave to her in 2024.
November 18, 1999, 2:42 AM. Tonight, we honor the 12 Aggies who tragically passed in the collapse of the Aggie Bonfire. There will be a service held at 2:42 AM at the Bonfire Memorial to remember each Aggie that passed that 26 years ago. If you can, I urge you to attend.
Here.