(Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)

Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. hired 24-hour security for his family after receiving online death threats earlier this month.

The Astros informed MLB security and Houston police after McCullers was threatened on social media following a 13-9 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on May 10.

McCullers, 31, said he made his family's safety a priority and arranged full-time protection.

'You have to at that point,' he told The Associated Press this week.

McCullers detailed an uncomfortable conversation with his one of his two young daughters after the girl overheard his wife talking on the phone about the online abuse.

'She asked me when I came home: 'Daddy, like, what is threats? Who wants to hurt us? Who wants to hurt me?'' McCullers told the AP. 'So those conversations are tough to deal with.'

Houston police say the matter remains under investigation.

McCullers started the game in question against the Reds but got pulled in the first inning after allowing seven runs on three hits and three walks on 36 pitches. The Reds went on to score 10 runs in the inning.

'I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with,' McCullers told reporters the following day.

'There have been many, many threats over the years aimed at me mostly, and I think actually one or two people from other issues around baseball actually have had to go to jail for things like that. But I think bringing kids into the equation, threatening to find them or next time they see us in public they're going to stab my kids to death ... things like that are tough to hear as a dad.'

McCullers has spent his entire career with the Astros and was part of World Series championship teams in 2017 and 2022. He missed all of the 2023 and 2024 seasons because of arm issues.

The game against Cincinnati was just his second appearance since Oct. 3, 2022.

McCullers has made three starts since the loss to the Reds, posting no decisions with a 3.14 ERA, 22 strikeouts and five walks in 14 1/3 innings. Houston won all three starts.

A first-round pick (41st overall) by Houston in the 2012 MLB Draft, McCullers is 49-33 with a 3.54 ERA in 135 games (132 starts). He made the All-Star team in 2017.

Boston Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks confirmed earlier this month that he has been the target of similar abuse on the internet, including threats against his wife.

--Field Level Media