Tim Warner/Getty Lance McCullers Jr. is speaking out after being the target of death threats The Houston Astros pitcher has hired round-the-clock security for his family McCullers revealed that he received the threats after a poor pitching performance earlier this month Houston Astros player Lance McCullers Jr. is having "tough" conversations with his family in the wake of receiving death threats following a poor pitching performance. Weeks after revealing that he and his familyhad been the target of online vitriol, the right-hander spoke out on Thursday, May 29 about dealing with the aftermath. "She asked me when I came home, 'Daddy, like, what is threats? Who wants to hurt us? Who wants to hurt me?' " McCullers, 31,told the Associated Presson Wednesday, referring to his 5-year-old daughter, Ava. "So those conversations are tough to deal with." Earlier this month, the athlete shared that he had received messages on social media directed at him and his family, some specifically targeting his and wife Kara Kilfoile's two young daughters. Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. McCullers has since notified authorities including Major League Baseball security and the Houston Police Department. He has also hired 24-hour security after receiving the threats, according to the AP. "You have to at that point," he said. Per theHouston Chronicle, the HPD is currently investigating the incident, which came just weeks before another MLB pitcher received similar threats. Boston Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks spoke out last week after disclosing that he had received death threats. "Just an FYI," he wrote on hisInstagram Storieson Thursday, May 22, "threats against my life and my wife's life are horrible and cruel." The player continued, "You need help. Leaving comments telling me to commit suicide and how you wish I died from cancer is disgusting and vile. Maybe you should take a step back and reevaluate your life's purpose before hiding behind a screen attacking players and their families." Hendriks, 36, was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in January 2023 and underwent both immunotherapy and chemotherapy before he returned to playing baseball later that year. Many players told the AP that they believe the increase of sports betting is responsible for the acrimony. "You get a lot of DMs or stuff like that about you ruining someone's bet or something ridiculous like that," veteran Red Sox reliever Justin Wilson said. "I guess they should make better bets." Read the original article onPeople
