Lance McCullers threw 24 straight curveballs to close Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS. His remarkable sequence came during four scoreless relief innings in the Houston Astros’ 4–0 victory over the New York Yankees on October 21, 2017.
McCullers entered in the sixth inning after Charlie Morton and stayed through the end of the game. Rather than mixing in his fastball, he repeatedly trusted his breaking pitch, using its sharp movement and changing speeds to keep Yankees hitters off balance. The final out was Greg Bird’s flyout to George Springer.
The moment helped send Houston to its first World Series since 2005, where the Astros faced the Los Angeles Dodgers. A common mix-up is confusing the 24-pitch curveball streak with McCullers’ total number of pitches or strikeouts in the game. The number refers specifically to consecutive curveballs thrown at the end of the ALCS-clinching performance.