HOUSTON, TX - Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers will be the guest on Astroline, Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. CT at Pluckers Wing Bar for the second installment of the offseason radio program. Astros radio play-by-play commentator Robert Ford will serve as the host. Ford and fellow radio broadcaster Steve Sparks will alternate hosting duties throughout the offseason.
Wednesday night's Astroline, which is presented by Karbach Brewing Co., will air on the Astros Radio Network, the Astros flagship station KBME SportsTalk 790 AM and will stream online at Astros.com/Astroline. All 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.
For the fourth consecutive season, Astroline airs from Pluckers Wing Bar, which is located at 1400 Shepherd Dr., Houston, Texas, 77007. Astroline runs through March 2017 (16 remaining segments), and is open to all Astros fans with no admission charge.
Fans can submit questions to the show via Twitter using the hashtag #Astroline, before and during the show. As always, fans will also have the option to call the show with questions at 713-212-5790.
McCullers, 23, spent 2016 as one of the youngest starting pitchers in the AL. He posted a 3.22 ERA with 106 strikeouts in 81.0 innings across 14 starts in a season bookended by stints on the Disabled List. He finished his campaign with career-high 11.78 strikeouts-per-9.0 innings ratio (106SO/81IP), which ranked fourth among all Major League pitchers with at least 80.0 innings and was the fourth-highest single season strikeouts-per-9.0 innings ratio by an Astros pitcher all-time (min. 80IP), behind RHP Brad Lidge in 2004 (14.93), RHP Octavio Dotel in 2001 (12.43) and LHP Randy Johnson in 1998 (12.38). After posting a 3.22 ERA in his rookie season (2015), he joined RHP Roy Oswalt as the only pitchers in club history to post an ERA of 3.22 or lower in each of their first two seasons in the Majors.
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 at Astroline are asked to arrive by 6:45 p.m.
Astroline preliminary schedule (subject to change).
Day           Date               Station
Wed.         Nov. 30          KBME
Thurs.       Dec. 8             KBME
Thurs.       Dec. 15           KBME
Thurs.       Dec. 22           KBME
Wed.         Jan. 4              KBME
Thurs.       Jan. 12            KBME
Thurs.       Jan. 19            KBME
Thurs.       Jan. 26            KBME
Wed.         Feb. 1              KBME
Wed.         Feb. 8              KBME
Thurs.       Feb. 16           KBME
Wed.         Feb. 22         KBME
Thurs.       March 2*       KBME
Thurs.       March 9*       KBME
Tues.         March 14*     KBME
Wed.         March 22*     KBME
*live from West Palm
-ASTROS-