Astros’ Urquidy gets nod, set to join legendary Fernando Valenzuela on short list
WASHINGTON – The Astros were already in a celebratory mood late Friday night when a roar erupted in a corner of the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park. Manager AJ Hinch had just told José Urquidy that he would start Game 4 of the World Series, prompting several relievers to erupt in joy for the young Mexican righthander.
This is the chance Urquidy has been waiting for since he signed with the Astros as a 19-year-old out of Mazatlan, Mexico, in March 2015. This is the moment he has dreamed about since he first picked up a ball in the embattled state of Sinaloa, where drug cartels have dominated the headlines this month.
Once he steps on the Nationals Park mound and throws the first pitch in the bottom of the first Saturday night against the Washington Nationals, Urquidy, 24, will join a shortlist of pitchers from Mexico to start in the Fall Classic.
Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers and Jaime García of the Cardinals are the only Mexican pitchers to have started on baseball’s greatest stage. Urquidy is set to turn that duo into “El Gran Trio Mexicano,” the great Mexican trio.
“I’m living the dream,” Urquidy said. “I know this is a big opportunity for me. It’s a big year for me. And I’m going to do my best every outing and enjoy the time.”
Urquidy is one of two natives of Mexico on the Astros’ World Series roster. He’s also the first Mexican player to ever reach the majors with the club after being signed as an amateur free agent and going through the club’s farm system.
He threw 2 ⅔ innings of relief in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, striking out five Yankees to set the record for the most strikeouts in a postseason game by a reliever from Mexico.
The rookie right-hander was 2-1 with a 3.95 ERA over nine games, seven starts in the regular season. He was eager for the opportunity to start Game 6 of the ALCS, but that bullpen-game start went to Brad Peacock.
Game 4 of the World Series also has the potential to be a bullpen game, but Urquidy got the nod in part because National League rules make it riskier to just keep switching relievers each inning because the pitcher must hit.
“The other side of it is when you get into the National League game, I can’t be quite as quick with the pitching given that you have to always be aware of where the at-bats are coming,” Hinch said. “There are probably some relievers that hope I do so they get an at-bat in the World Series, but certainly I don’t want to see it.”
It has been a difficult month for the folks in Urquidy’s home state of Sinaloa, which he and Astros closer Roberto Osuna represented together from 11 through 13 years old at national tournaments.
Days before Urquidy and Osuna played pivotal roles helping the Astros win the AL pennant in Game 6, Sinaloa was rocked after the Sinaloa cartel overpowered Mexican national police in the city of Culiacan to free the son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman from temporary custody.
The Sinaloa cartel flexed its power and essentially took over the city, embarrassing Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
The violence in Culiacan was the talk of Mexico and throughout the U.S. In Houston before Game 6 of the ALCS, the lead singer for the popular Mexican Norteño-banda group Calibre 50 was doing a radio interview promoting a concert that night when he was asked if he would write a corrido (folk song) about that week’s standoff in Culiacan.
Eden Muñoz, the lead singer, denied that he would write a corrido. He declared that he didn’t know enough to opine about the standoff. Then the Mazatlan native pivoted to baseball, declaring that although he was a fan of the Dodgers he would cheer for his fellow Mazateco Urquidy and the Astros.
“I have a couple friends on that Astros,” Muñoz said, meaning fellow Sinaloenses Urquidy and Osuna. “The Astros will beat the Yankees. Come celebrate the Astros’ victory with us.”
Urquidy had that concert invitation in mind as he celebrated the AL title with his teammates after Game 6 of the ALCS, but he was busy partying in the clubhouse with his teammates.
A week later, he’s set to join Valenzuela and Garcia on a special list of Mexican starting pitchers in the World Series one day after Osuna earned his first World Series save to help the Astros get within a victory of tying the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.
Osuna was one of the first teammates to congratulate Urquidy late Friday night after Hinch told him about the Game 4 assignment.
For the first time in baseball history, there’s a chance that a Mexican pitcher records the first out in a World Series game a day after another Mexican teammate secured the final out with the save.
“Today I finished it, and he’ll start it tomorrow and hopefully I’ll finish it,” Osuna said after Game 3. “Hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to win another game for the team and tie the series, which is important.”
In Urquidy and Osuna, a region marked by drug violence has a pair of ballplayers to help change the narrative through the Fall Classic.
Featured Image: Jean Fruth/La Vida Baseball