Houston Astros ace Lance McCullers, Jr. declares H-Town love with battle cry every Houstonian should adopt

If Houston Astros star pitcher Lance McCullers, Jr. ever runs for mayor of Houston (which we heartily endorse), he won't need to hire a slick marketing team to create his campaign slogan — as the proven winner has already crafted a winning line.

The celebrated ace and overall good guy unleashed his devastating sweeping slider and struck out six New York Yankees in the Astros Sunday, October 23 win that marked a sweep and an Astros World Series berth — much to the chagrin of Yankees fans who famously (and somewhat foolishly) wanted another Astros-Yankees showdown.

Never one to back down and a passionate defender of his team and city – especially on Twitter — McCullers also scored the night’s most memorable line when interviewed after the big win — one that many locals might consider for their own tombstones.

“I only got one thing to say — and I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again,” he told TBS reporter Lauren Shehadi. “Bury me in The H.”

Truly, there are battle cries with less motivational power.

McCullers’ unforgettable declaration comes after the 29-year-old has already faced down a debilitating elbow injury that forced Tommy John surgery in 2018 and a forearm injury in 2021 during the American League Division Series that ended his playoff run. The forearm injury — later diagnosed as a right tendon flexor strain — continued to nag him this year, but the relentless McCullers persisted, even starting against the Seattle Mariners in the now historic, 18-inning 2022 ALDS win.

As frequently covered in CultureMap, McCullers has garnered a reputation for generosity for local causes since he arrived in Houston, be it handing out turkeys during Thanksgiving or spearheading homeless animal rescue and adoption through the eponymous nonprofit he runs with his wife, Kara.

Intensely private about his philanthropic activities unless it generates exposure for others, McCullers will even hand out cases of water after his personal grocery store trips to those in need. (Something he will no doubt be unhappy that we shared.)

Born in Tampa, Florida and the son of an MLB pitcher, Houston’s All-Star has thus quickly embodied the fierce pride of place that’s usually reserved for natives.

Fans, for their part, have caught on to his rally cry; the Astros have shared the slogan on social media and two local stores — Apollo HOU and The Astros Locker — sell shirts heralding his final internment wishes. Apollo Dez, co-founder of Apollo HOU, tells CultureMap that he's seen a significant uptick in "Bury Me" shirt sales on his site since McCullers ran his line back. Astros Locker founder Daniel Meyer also tells CultureMap that he's seen an uptick in traffic.

Congratulations, then, are clearly in order for the ace who continually throws curves to the haters and has proven his unending love to Houston. May his burial in The H not occur for a long, long, long time.