HOUSTON, TX - Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers will be the guest on Astroline Friday, March 4, at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT), which moves to the ESPN Club at Disney's BoardWalk in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Astros radio play-by-play commentator Robert Ford will serve as the host. Ford and fellow radio broadcaster Steve Sparks alternate hosting duties for Astroline.
Friday night's Astroline, which is presented by Karbach Brewing Co., will air on KBME SportsTalk 790 AM and will stream online at Astros.com/Astroline. All remaining shows are scheduled to broadcast on KBME SportsTalk 790, but are subject to change due to scheduling conflicts. Astroline broadcasts live, weekly from 7-8 p.m. CT during the offseason.
Beginning this week, Astroline returns to the ESPN Club at Disney's BoardWalk for the final four broadcasts from Florida during Spring Training. Astroline runs through March 21. On-site locations for Astroline are open to the public with no admission charge.
Fans can submit questions to the show via Twitter using the hashtag #Astroline, before and during the show. Fans may also post questions on the Astros Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Astros. As always, fans will also have the option to call the show with questions at 713-212-5790.
McCullers, 22, is entering his fifth professional season and his second in the Major Leagues after making 22 starts with Houston as a rookie in 2015. He had one of the best rookie seasons by a pitcher in club history, finishing among the top 10 Astros rookies all-time in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (2nd, 9.24), opponent batting average (4th, .226), ERA (7th, 3.22) and strikeouts (7th, 129). McCullers led all American League rookies in ERA, opponent batting average and strikeouts per 9.0 innings (min. 100IP). He also became one of 20 pitchers in Major League history to post a season with a strikeouts per 9.0 innings ratio above 9.00 prior to turning 22 years old (min. 100IP).
Ford enters his fourth season as the Astros radio play-by-play commentator after being named to the post on Feb. 13, 2013. Prior to joining the Astros radio broadcast team, Ford spent four seasons as the pre-and postgame host for the Kansas City Royals radio broadcasts on 610 AM KCSP, the Royals flagship station. The 2001 graduate of Syracuse University spent seven years broadcasting minor league baseball, calling more than 800 games during his stints with the Binghamton Mets, Kalamazoo Kings and Yakima Bears. Ford was twice named Frontier League Broadcaster of the Year (2003 and 2004).
*Media Note- Media wishing to interview Lance McCullers must do so immediately before or after the show.
Astroline preliminary schedule (subject to change).
Day           Date               Station          Location
Fri.             Mar. 4             KBME               ESPN Club at Disney BoardWalk
Tues.         Mar. 8             KBME               ESPN Club at Disney BoardWalk
Tues.         Mar. 15           KBME               ESPN Club at Disney BoardWalk
Mon.         Mar. 21           KBME               ESPN Club at Disney BoardWalk
-ASTROS-