José Luis Hernández Urquidy (born May 1, 1995) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Urquidy signed with the Astros as an international free agent in 2015 under the name of José Luis Hernández, as he was known until the start of the 2019 season. He made his MLB debut in 2019.
José Urquidy | |||||||||||||||
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![]() Urquidy in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
Houston Astros – No. 65 | |||||||||||||||
Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
Born: Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico | May 1, 1995|||||||||||||||
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
July 2, 2019, for the Houston Astros | |||||||||||||||
MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |||||||||||||||
Win–loss record | 27–16 | ||||||||||||||
Earned run average | 3.98 | ||||||||||||||
Strikeouts | 326 | ||||||||||||||
Teams | |||||||||||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Professional career
editMinor leagues
editUrquidy signed with the Houston Astros as an international free agent on March 2, 2015.[1] He made his professional debut that same year, and spent his first professional season with both the Greeneville Astros and Tri-City ValleyCats, pitching to a combined 2–1 record and 3.35 ERA in 37+2⁄3 innings. He pitched 2016 with the Quad Cities River Bandits and Lancaster JetHawks, posting a 6–5 record and 2.94 ERA in 24 games (21 starts).
Urquidy missed the 2017 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.[2] He returned in 2018 and pitched for Tri-City and the Buies Creek Astros, going 2–2 with a 2.35 ERA in 13 games (11 starts). He started 2019 with the Corpus Christi Hooks before being promoted to the Round Rock Express.[3]
Houston Astros
edit2019 (Rookie season)
editOn July 2, 2019, the Astros promoted Urquidy to the major leagues.[4] He made his debut that night in a start versus the Colorado Rockies, pitching 3+2⁄3 innings.[5] In 2019, he was 2–1 with a 3.95 ERA, as in nine games (seven starts) he pitched 41 innings.[6]
In Game 4 of the 2019 World Series versus the Washington Nationals, Urquidy started for the Houston Astros, making him just the third Mexican-born World Series starting pitcher. He threw five innings, giving up two hits while striking out four. With the Astros winning the game, Urquidy became the second Mexican-born pitcher to win a World Series game after Fernando Valenzuela.[citation needed]
2020
editIn 2020, Urquidy was 1–1 with a 2.73 ERA in five starts covering 29+2⁄3 innings.[7]
2021
editIn 2021, Urquidy was 8–3 with a 3.62 ERA in 20 starts covering 107 innings.[7] In the postseason, he started Game 3 of the ALCS versus the Boston Red Sox, lasting less than three innings. Urquidy was the winning pitcher in both of Houston's victories versus the Atlanta Braves in the World Series.[8] He started Game 2, throwing five innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts as the Astros defeated Atlanta, 7–2. With the win, Urquidy became the first Mexican-born pitcher to earn multiple World Series wins.[9] Pitching in relief in Game 5, he earned the win with one scoreless inning, making him the winningest internationally born player in World Series history.[10][11]
2022
editOn June 26, 2022, Urquidy started a contest with 6+1⁄3 hitless innings versus the New York Yankees before ceding a home run to Giancarlo Stanton. Urquidy's performance extended a no-hit streak to 16+1⁄3 innings forged by Astros pitching, tying an expansion-era record.[a][12] On July 8, he reached a career-high eight innings in an 8–3 win versus the Oakland Athletics, allowing all three runs.[13] Urquidy spun seven scoreless innings on August 3 versus Boston, delivered a game score of 83 and tied his career high of 10 strikeouts on the way to a 6–1 win.[14] On August 15, he hurled 7+2⁄3 hitless innings versus the Chicago White Sox until allowing his lone hit against A. J. Pollock before being removed.[15]
In a rematch of the prior year's World Series, Urquidy earned the win versus Atlanta after allowing two runs over seven innings, striking out six, as Houston won, 5–4. The Astros had won 15 of his last 20 starts, and over his last 11, Urquidy was 7–1 with a 2.48 ERA.[8] He earned the win after tossing seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts versus the Los Angeles Angels on September 4.[16]
In 2022, Urquidy was 13–8 with a 3.94 ERA in 29 games (28 starts) covering 164+1⁄3 innings.[17]
Urquidy made one appearance in the Astros' 2022 playoff run, pitching three scoreless innings in relief to help stabilize the Astros' bullpen in a 7–0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of the World Series. Urquidy became the first Mexican-born player in Major League history to appear in three World Series.[18] The Astros would go on to win in six games, earning Urquidy his first World Series championship,[19] and become the 15th Mexican-born player to win a World Series.
2023
editOn January 13, 2023, Urquidy avoided arbitration with the Astros, agreeing to a one-year, $3.025 million contract for the season.[20] After exiting a start in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies with right shoulder soreness, the Astros placed Urquidy on the 15-day injured list on May 1.[21] He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on June 23.[22] On August 6, he returned from the IL to make a start versus the Yankees, which the Astros won, 9–7.[23] Urquidy picked up the last four innings of a 13–5 win over Boston on August 28 to convert his first career save.[24] In the third-to-last regular season game of 2023, Urquidy made and won a spot start versus the Arizona Diamondbacks by authoring six shutout innings, which was instrumental in the Astros' postseason push in a tight AL West division race with Seattle and Texas.[25]
Urquidy started and won Game 4 of the American League Division Series (ALDS), a 3–2 win versus the Minnesota Twins, to clinch the series. Uruqidy delivered 5+2⁄3 innings with two runs allowed, both on solo home runs, three hits, one walk, and struck out six. The Astros advanced to, and extended their record, seventh-straight American League Championship Series (ALCS).[26]
2024
editUrquidy began the 2024 campaign on the injured list as the result of a right forearm strain. On June 5, 2024, it was announced that he would undergo season–ending elbow surgery.[27]
International career
editOn August 27, 2022, Urquidy committed to play for Team Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[28]
Personal life
editPrior to the 2019 season, Urquidy was known as José Luis Hernández.[1][29]
See also
editReferences
edit- Footnotes
- ^ Per the Elias Sports Bureau (ESB). Reliable data for individual innings is available starting in 1961. Previously, the 1973 Athletics and 1981 Dodgers were no-hit for 16 consecutive innings. Urquidy's hitless start to the game succeeded a combined no-hitter of the Yankees by Cristian Javier, Héctor Neris, and Ryan Pressly.
- Sources
- ^ a b Rome, Chandler (May 23, 2019). "Jose Urquidy takes a giant step forward". Baseball America. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ "José Luis Hernández Urquidy se codea con los grandes del beisbol" (in Spanish). Riodoce.mx. May 15, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ "José Luis Hernández Urquidy, a un paso de las Mayores". Noroeste. May 15, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ Rome, Chandler (July 1, 2019). "Astros to promote Jose Urquidy for first major league start Tuesday". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- ^ RotoWire Staff (July 2, 2019). "Astros' Jose Urquidy: Short start in debut". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
- ^ "Jose Urquidy Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
- ^ a b "Jose Urquidy Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b "Tucker, Urquidy power Astros past Braves as Ozuna hears boos". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 21, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ Milenio (October 28, 2021). "Astros pitcher is first Mexican to win two World Series games". Mexico News Daily. Associated Press. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ MLB Stats [@MLBStats] (October 27, 2021). "José Urquidy is the first Mexican-born pitcher to earn multiple #WorldSeries wins. https://t.co/et2j22Qw1j" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ MLB Stats [@MLBStats] (November 1, 2021). "José Urquidy has the most #WorldSeries wins (3) by a foreign-born player. https://t.co/L8AXwHLjqk" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Yankees' Judge walks off Astros for 2nd time in 4 days". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 26, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "Urquidy, backed by Bregman, Maldonado, leads Astros over A's". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ "Trey Mancini homers in first start with Astros since trade". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "Moncada, Cueto lead White Sox past Astros 4–2". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ "Altuve, Urquidy lead Astros to 9–1 victory over Angels". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "Jose Urquidy Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Cruz, César (November 2, 2022). "José Urquidy, first Mexican to play three World Series". Diario AS. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ Rome, Chandler (November 5, 2022). "Undisputed: 'It proves we're the best team in baseball ... They have nothing to say now.'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ Ierkes, Tim. "2023 MLB Arbitration Tracker". MLBTradeRumors. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ Lerner, Danielle (May 1, 2023). "Astros put José Urquidy on 15-day IL with shoulder injury". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ "Astros' Jose Urquidy: Moved to 60-day IL". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Meyers hits pair of 3-run HRs and Astros go deep 4 times to beat Yankees 9–7 for a 4-game split". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ RotoWire Staff (August 28, 2023). "Astros' Jose Urquidy: Earns first career save". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ Kawahara, Matt (September 29, 2023). "Astros 2, Diamondbacks 1: José Urquidy, José Abreu help preserve Houston's path to AL playoff race". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ "José Abreu homers again to power the Astros past the Twins 3–2 and into their 7th straight ALCS". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ "Jose Urquidy To Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ Silver, Ben (September 17, 2022). "José Urquidy Declares for Team Mexico at World Baseball Classic". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ Kaplan, Jake (July 1, 2019). "Their rotation depth tested again, the Astros turn to Jose Urquidy". The Athletic. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet