Game 3 of the World Series wasn’t just bad but historically bad for Houston Astros right-handed starter Lance McCullers Jr. which led to a 7-0 cakewalk Philadelphia Phillies victory, putting them ahead 2-1 in the series.
Following the matchup, all talk surrounded McCullers and the speculation the Phillies rally was due in large part to the starter tipping his pitches throughout his 4 1/3 innings on the mound.
Former Boston Red Sox infielder Nick Punto agreed with the theory while making an appearance on Audacy Sports’ “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast, claiming there’s “no doubt” McCullers tipped his pitches.
“Here’s a pro tip: There’s no doubt about it he’s tipping pitches,” Punto said. “Because left-handed hitters don’t talk to right-handed hitters and right-handed hitters don’t talk to left-handed hitters. So for Bryce Harper to say something to (Alec) Bohm, that doesn’t make any sense unless it’s a glove tip early enough that it makes sense for both left-handed and right-handed hitters.”
Harper was just one of five Phillies hitters to go deep against McCullers, marking a new Major League Baseball record for most home runs against a pitcher during a playoff game. Philadelphia proceeded to tackle seven earned runs off McCullers which proved to be more than enough to put them ahead in the series.
“Left-handed hitters obviously get pitched differently than a right-handed hitter so it’s almost like two different — offense and defense, you don’t really talk to each other,” Punto said.
The Phillies will look to carry their momentum to Game 4 against the Astros, sitting two wins shy of seizing a Fall Classic title Wednesday. First pitch from Citizens Bank Park is scheduled for 8:03 p.m. ET.
