"Acquired from the Padres with Jimmy Jones and Stan Jefferson for Jack Clark and Pat Clements just weeks after the conclusion of last season, McCullers is a hard thrower who served as a set-up man for Goose Gossage and then Mark Davis in San Diego. He converted 10 of 16 save opportunities in 1988, boosting his career save total to 36, and allowed 15 of 35 inherited runners to score.
McCullers was the Phillies' second-round pick in the June 1982 draft but was dealt to the Padres in August 1983. He was a starter for most of his pro career before arriving in the majors in August 1985 as a replacement for the injured Gossage. He led National League relievers in innings with 123.1 in 1987 and his 60 appearances ranked second on the Padres' staff last season.
Born in Tampa, McCullers might wind up getting a chance to be a closer for Dallas Green this season."
-Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1989 Edition
"Where there's smoke there's fire, which is what any contending baseball team needs in the heat of a pennant race. And that's what the Yankees were looking for when they traded for Lance McCullers from the Padres last winter. As part of a plan to rebuild their pitching staff with strong young arms, the fireballing right-hander fits the blueprint.
At the age of 25, McCullers joins the Yankees with three-and-a-half years of major league experience already under his belt. As a starter, he won 10 games for the Padres in 1986, then had 16 saves for San Diego a year later.
His presence in Pinstripes opens the door to a number of possibilities. His overpowering fastball makes him an ideal stopper out of the pen, and while Dave Righetti filled that role for the last five seasons, imagine this fireballing lefty/righty combination closing the door on opponents in the late innings. However he's used, McCullers is young, strong, experienced and a welcomed addition."
-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook
"McCullers went 3-6 with 10 saves and a 2.49 ERA in 60 relief appearances for the San Diego Padres in 1988. His 10 saves came in 16 save situations and he prevented 25 of 30 inherited runners from scoring. In 97.2 innings pitched he allowed 70 hits and 55 walks, along with his 81 strikeouts, but did allow eight home runs. His .205 batting average against was the second lowest on the Padres, behind Mark Davis.
Along with Davis, McCullers formed the heart of the Padres bullpen which had the fourth-best relief ERA (2.76) in the National League. Lance was one of only 15 NL relievers to record at least 10 saves, and of those, his 2.49 ERA ranked sixth. His 97.2 innings pitched ranked sixth among NL relievers and he finished 39 games.
Lance started the 1988 season slowly, including a rough outing on April 17 against San Francisco, giving up four earned runs in two innings pitched (including 9th inning home runs to Bob Melvin and Candy Maldonado, the only time Lance gave up more than one home run in a game), and was charged with the Padres' 9-4 loss. On May 24 at Montreal, he gave up a solo home run to Andres Gallaraga in the ninth inning (the first of two solo homers Galarraga would hit off McCullers in 1988) to allow the Expos to tie the score and win in 13 innings. Through June 1, McCullers was 0-4 with just three saves (in seven save opportunities) and a 3.82 ERA.
In his next five appearances, from June 4-17, he pitched 9.2 scoreless innings and went 1-0 with three saves. The win, his first of the year, came on June 10 against Los Angeles when he went 1.1 scoreless innings to gain credit for the Padres' 4-3 victory. Two of his three saves in that span came in back-to-back appearances, on June 14 against San Francisco and June 17 at Los Angeles.
In 20 appearances from July 7 through September 13, covering 32.2 innings pitched, Lance allowed just one earned run (Galarraga's second homer of the year off him on August 18) and went 2-1 with three saves and a 0.28 ERA in that span, lowering his overall ERA from 3.23 to 2.10. He had a season high five strikeouts in 2.1 innings pitched on July 31 at Cincinnati. After September 13 he finished the season by allowing seven earned runs in his final six appearances covering 11 innings pitched, with no decisions and one save, to raise his final ERA to 2.49.
McCullers has a 21-28 lifetime record with 36 saves and a 2.96 ERA. He was acquired by the Yankees on October 24, 1988 along with Jimmy Jones and Stanley Jefferson from the Padres in exchange for Jack Clark and Pat Clements. McCullers signed a contract for the 1989 season.
He signed with the Phillies organization as a second-round pick in the June 1982 free agent draft. His first year of pro ball was with Helena in the Pioneer Rookie League, going 6-4 in 13 starts with a 3.72 ERA.
In 1983 Lance went 9-6 for Spartanburg, the Phillies 'A' South Atlantic League team, and started all but one of 22 games, with six complete games and two shutouts. He was traded with pitchers Marty Decker, Darren Burroughs and Ed Wojna to San Diego on September 20 for outfielder Sixto Lezcano and pitcher Steve Fireovid.
His first year in the Padres organization was split between Miami (A) of the Florida State League and Beaumont (AA) of the Texas League. With Miami, McCullers was 6-4 with a 2.54 ERA, splitting time between the bullpen and the starting rotation; 13 of his 22 appearances were starts, with five complete games. He was named as the second best major league prospect in the Florida State League. McCullers was used only as a starter at Beaumont, going 4-1 in eight starts with a 2.11 ERA, and allowed only four home runs in 161.2 innings pitched during the season, a ratio of one homer every 40.1 innings pitched.
While in Las Vegas in 1985, his lone year in AAA ball, he was used exclusively as a starter, appearing in 24 games and going 11-8 with a 3.98 ERA and three complete games, with 148 strikeouts in 149.1 innings pitched. A starter through most of his pro career, McCullers made his major league debut in the role of stopper with the Padres upon his recall from Las Vegas on August 11. He was forced into that situation when Rich Gossage was required to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery.
He was impressive immediately, earning saves in his first three big league outings, and all five of his saves came in his first eight outings. He did not allow an earned run in the first 11.1 innings pitched of his big league career; his first earned run allowed cost him his first decision, a 4-3 loss at Philadelphia on August 25. When Gossage returned in early September, McCullers was used mainly as a setup man for the remainder of the year. He was honored as the Padres' Rookie of the Year.
Lance appeared in 70 games in 1986, both as a starter and a reliever. He opened the year with 37 straight relief appearances before making seven starts at mid-season and wrapped up the year back in the bullpen with 24 more outings. He was 9-6 with five saves and a 2.13 ERA as a reliever but was 1-4 as a starter with a 4.19 ERA. Lance led the club in ERA (minimum 100 innings) at 2.78 and tied with Andy Hawkins for the top spot in victories with ten.
His first big league win came on April 15 against Los Angeles, winning 2-1 in a 12-inning game. He missed 10 games due to a pulled rib cage muscle before returning on April 29. After returning, Andy allowed only one earned run in 16.1 innings pitched in May for a 0.55 ERA (15 outings). His first major league start came on July 4 in Chicago, a 6.1-inning stint, getting a no-decision. He was named the Padres' Pitcher of the Month for both August and September.
In 1987 McCullers was used exclusively out of the bullpen and finished the season among the NL leaders in several categories. He ranked first among relievers in innings pitched (123.1), second in strikeouts (126), tied for fifth in wins (8) and was fifth overall in appearances (78) and ninth in saves (16).
He made good in nine of his first 12 save situations, subbing as the stopper for the injured Gossage, then hit a tailspin, failing in his next four save situations before finishing the year with seven saves in 12 chances. He had a three-game winning streak from July 16-August 6, during which he matched his career high with seven strikeouts in three innings pitched on July 25 against Pittsburgh. Lance finished the season strong, allowing only four earned runs in 24 innings pitched (1.50 ERA) in his last 18 outings. He compiled identical 4-5 marks in each half, but his second half ERA was 3.08 compared to 4.42 in the first half.
Lance attended Catholic High School in Tampa, a rival of Hillsborough High, alma mater of Dwight Gooden and Floyd Youmans. His favorite team growing up was the Cincinnati Reds, his favorite player was Tom Seaver and his favorite ballpark is Jack Murphy Stadium. His hobbies are skiing, fishing, hunting and golf, and his favorite spectator sport is baseball.
Lance was involved in the San Diego community in several ventures, most actively with 'Pitchers for Pets,' a project with the Department of Animal Control to assist in responsible pet ownership."
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
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