Was Lance McCullers tipping pitches to Phillies? John Smoltz weighs in
Lance McCullers Jr. might have tipped the Philadelphia Phillies straight to a victory in Game 3 of the World Series.
The Houston Astros starting pitcher gave up five home runs over 4 1/3 innings pitched Tuesday, making him the first pitcher to ever allow that many homers in a World Series game. The Phillies hit three of those homers in the first two innings, with Bryce Harper launching the first pitch he saw into the seats in right field before whispering something in the ear of teammate Alec Bohm — who blasted the first pitch McCullers threw him into the stands in left field.
All of the Phillies' home runs may have been aided by McCullers tipping his pitches. The right-hander appeared to have his glove lower in his windup when he threw a curveball and held it higher in his windup when he threw a slider.
"The Philadelphia Phillies knew he wasn't going to throw his fastball," FOX baseball analyst and color commentator John Smoltz said of McCullers. "The element of surprise is what makes hitting so difficult. … Whether or not he was tipping, or they had something, that's going to be determined the next time around. I wasn't convinced, but I'm not opposed to thinking Philadelphia definitely had his number."
Smoltz noted that tipping pitches was something he was always aware of during his Hall of Fame pitching career.
"Oh I used to have [Tom] Glavine and [Greg] Maddux watching me like a hawk to make sure I wasn’t tipping," Smoltz said, recalling his days with the Atlanta Braves.
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Ben Verlander asks Hall of Famer John Smoltz if the Astros' Lance McCullers Jr. was tipping his pitches.
While he didn't battle the issue much amid his prime in Atlanta, Smoltz said it was something that arose during his final season with the Red Sox and Cardinals.
"I wasn’t good at the end of my career," Smoltz said. "Awful in Boston. Got to St Louis and they say, ‘Hey, John. You’ve been tipping your pitches for a while. Can we tell you what you were doing?’ And my next start I dominated."
Smoltz said some opposing hitters even pointed out he was tipping pitches.
"I’ve been at a few parties when guys get a few too many to drink and will say, ‘Hey, John. We know what you’re throwing man,'" Smoltz recalled.
Playing most of his 21-year career in the National League, Smoltz had to hit a lot and wasn't great. He held a .159 batting average over his career. But even as a hitter he said he could tell when a pitcher was tipping their pitches.
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Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh both hit solo home runs to put the Philadelphia Phillies up 4-0 against the Houston Astros.
"I wasn’t a great hitter at all but one game we had a guy," Smoltz said of one of the five home runs he hit during his career. "I knew what was coming and I hit a home run to left field. Jumped all over it."
Tuesday night, after Philly had jumped all over McCullers, the veteran rejected the notion he was tipping pitches and said he simply got beat.
"I’m not gonna sit here and say anything like that," McCullers said. "I got whooped. End of story."