Reds bring out the worst in Astros fans after Lance McCullers’ blowup in 1st inning

On Saturday night, the Cincinnati Reds erupted for 13 runs, including 10 in the first inning off starter Lance McCullers Jr. They're set for a rubber match on Sunday with the Houston Astros after the 13-9 victory, which was a crucial sign of life after Cincy scored only 10 runs over their previous six games.

But that was hardly the story of the night. The heinous behavior of Astros fans overshadowed the Reds' offensive success. Before we get into that, the Reds amassed 12 hits and nine walks. Matt McClain, Elly De La Cruz and Gavin Lux all recorded two or more RBI. Hopefully this can spark some offensive consistency.

During the game, however, Astros fans came out in droves in the worst way possible. They went after McCullers Jr. on social media with death threats and disgusting insults in response to his poor outing.

Astros manager Joe Espada addressed it in the postgame and was incensed. McCullers spoke to the media about it as well in an admirable manner. Truthfully, we can't believe stuff like this is still happening.

We're talking about a regular season game here. Have people completely lost their minds? Don't forget, McCullers is still on a journey as he recovers from injury. This was just his second start since the start of 2023. He also pitched in only eight games in 2022.

Reds erupt for 13 runs, but Astros fans' despicable Lance McCullers Jr. behavior ruins night

McCullers lasted just 1/3 of an inning and surrendered seven earned runs on three hits and three walks. The Astros needed 8 2/3 innings out of their bullpen and they actually almost staged a comeback with a six-run effort in the third.

What's ironic is that Reds starter Brady Singer didn't have a much better night. The right-hander also allowed seven earned runs but managed to last two more innings. He gave up nine hits and a walk and made Cincy's night that much more difficult. Reds fans managed to keep their cool, though!

The Astros fans' threats to McCullers were reported to the Houston Police Department as well as MLB security. Unfortunately, this is nothing new when it comes to toxicity on social media. Mets fans previously threatened Francisco Lindor and his family.

The swift response to this specific incident will hopefully bring more attention to this type of behavior.

First pitch for the series finale is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, and we're sure there will be more information provided on this during the broadcast. Let this be the end, though, because nobody likes reading about this after trying to enjoy a baseball game.