Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr.'s rough outing on the mound on Saturday night turned uglier when he and his family received death threats over social media.

McCullers started the home game against the Cincinnati 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 and won 13-9.

"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," said McCullers, 31, confirming the threats were made over social media.

"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," he said. "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 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 and made his return last Sunday against the host Chicago White Sox.

Pitching for the first time in a major league game since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, McCullers allowed three hits and three walks and recorded four strikeouts in 3 2/3 scoreless innings. He didn't figure in the decision in a 5-4 loss to Chicago.

His second outing, and first in Houston, was Saturday and was "a tough evening," he said later.

"Obviously, you want to pitch well, but I think putting your teammates in that spot is more of the downer of the outing," said McCullers (0-1, 15.75 ERA). "I haven't felt super comfortable with my pitches the last two outings. Don't know if it's just the time off. I don't feel nervous, but maybe I'm just not moving in the way I'm accustomed to moving.

"You know, you fail on a very large stage -- a lot of eyes. And there's nowhere to hide. At the end of the day, I just want to do my job. I just want to be a good pitcher for the Astros. And I believe I'll get there."

Astros manager Joe Espada believes in McCullers, and he couldn't believe how some reacted with death threats.

"... it's very unfortunate that Lance McCullers ... that there are people who are threatening his life and the life of his kids because of his performance tonight," Espada said after the game. "It's very unfortunate that we have to deal with this -- after all he's done for this city, for this team. ...

"I've got kids, too. And it really drives me nuts that we have to deal with this. Very sad. Very, very sad."

McCullers, the son of a former major league pitcher (1985-90, 1992), was an All-Star in 2017 and seventh in the American League Cy Young Award voting in 2021.

A first-round pick (41st overall) by Houston in the 2012 MLB Draft, McCullers is 49-33 with a 3.55 ERA, 302 walks and 804 strikeouts in 722 2/3 innings over 132 regular-season games (129 starts).

"He hasn't pitched in 2 1/2 years. We've got to give some time, all right?" Espada said. "This can't happen. I'm really upset that this happened to athletes, and ... you know, we're trying our best. Everybody's trying our best. But the fact I've gotta go to my office and deal with this? Come on. We're better than that."