The Dodgers have plenty of stars up and down the roster and it’s easy for one to get lost in all of it. Whether it be Corey Seager, Mookie Betts, or Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles has had no shortage of highlights. This postseason was no exception.
While the veterans on the team deserve all the spotlights after fighting for so long, Julio Urías deserves some of that spotlight for helping carry the Dodgers to the finish line. The 23-year old left-hander stepped up in a big way during the season as he posted a 3-0 record in 11 games with a 3.27 ERA. While that was a huge boost to the team when guys like Kershaw and Buehler went down with injuries, there was an even bigger opportunity waiting for him.
GRACIAS DODGERS!!!
When asked about his eye condition, Mexican pitcher Julio Urías, a devout Catholic, said, "That's how God works. He gave me a bad left eye but a good left arm." pic.twitter.com/1BuEuq8qo2— Jorge R. Gutierrez (@mexopolis) October 28, 2020
The start of the postseason unleashed the beast within Urías as he dominated in every situation. During the Wild Card Series, he entered out of the bullpen to throw 3 shut out innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. He then appeared in Game 3 of the Division Series against the Padres and limited them to an unearned in 5 innings of work. The Atlanta Braves proved to be no different for Julio as he appeared in two games (1 start) and held them to 3 hits and 1 run in 8 innings.
Julio Urías and Madison Bumgarner (2014) are the only pitchers to record 4 wins and a save in a single #postseason. pic.twitter.com/YW00RpXeR8
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 28, 2020
After racking up four straight wins through 3 rounds of the newly formatted playoffs, Urías was was stripped of another as the bullpen imploded during the awful finish of Game 4 that we can all forget now. However, Dave Roberts wasn’t finished with him yet and No. 7 would get a final appearance to show to the world the kind of pitcher he was defined to be. Up 2-1 in the seventh inning, Julio was the guy the Dodgers turned to, to seal the win.
Julio Urías se consagró anoche sacando los últimos 7 outs para la coronación de #Dodgers
El mexicano finalizó la postemporada con record de 4-0, 1.17 de ERA, 0.65 de WHIP, un salvamento, 4 bases y 29 ponches. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/UWsP1THhNP
— Puro Beisbol (@purobeisbolmx) October 28, 2020
Of course, you know the rest as he didn’t disappoint. When asked by Alanna Rizzo about what it was like to be the guy to close out such an important and overdue game, he had this to say:
“Like I said before it’s the most important out, it’s the most important pitch. It’s a beautiful feeling. Everyone is waiting for that out and I’m thankful to God for the opportunity and I’m thankful for all the blessings.”
All in all, he owned the playoffs with a 4-0 record in 6 games (2 starts) to go along with an outstanding 1.17 ERA, 29 strikeouts, and the save that brought a World Series back to LA. Not bad at all for the Culiacan Rosales, Mexico native. Even after years of fighting off injuries and shuffling between the bullpen and rotation, Julio Urías proved that no stage is too big for him, whether it be closing out the NLCS or the World Series.
