SAN FRANCISCO -- The past two times the Dodgers have clinched a postseason series, it¡¯s been left-hander Julio Ur¨ªas on the mound recording the final out. His championship-sealing strikeout of Willy Adames in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series will forever live in Dodgers history.
If Los Angeles wins another postseason series on Thursday, it could again come down to Ur¨ªas¡¯ left arm. Though the Dodgers made a late change Thursday afternoon and named right-hander Corey Knebel as the starting pitcher, the Mexican southpaw will surely take the mound at some point for the Dodgers in the winner-take-all Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Giants at Oracle Park.
¡°The adrenaline definitely changes, and the thought process a little bit,¡± Ur¨ªas said in Spanish. ¡°We have a great team, and I have great support behind me, so we¡¯re confident going into [Thursday's] game.¡±
While Ur¨ªas believes in his team, the Dodgers are even more confident when he's on the mound.
In his first full season as a starter, Ur¨ªas had one of the best years in the NL. He made a career-high 32 starts and pitched 185 2/3 innings, blowing past his previous career high (79 2/3 in 2019). He also became MLB's first 20-game winner since Max Scherzer won 20 games for the Nationals in 2016.
Though pitcher wins isn¡¯t a statistic that carries as much weight as it once did, the reality is that when Ur¨ªas is on the mound, he often does more than enough to help Los Angeles win.
¡°It¡¯s been fun to watch him go from last year, ¡®Hey, we¡¯re going to use you all the time and throw two or three innings,¡¯ to this year getting a full year of, ¡®You¡¯re going to make 30 starts and see what you can do,¡¯¡± Dodgers starter Walker Buehler said. ¡°It¡¯s been cool to watch him grow and evolve into that role, and I don¡¯t think we could have any more confidence in someone going [into Game 5] than we do in Julio.¡±
Part of Ur¨ªas¡¯ evolution has been the introduction of a slurve and a much-improved changeup. Opposing hitters recorded a .155 average against Ur¨ªas¡¯ curveball, which also counts his new slurve. They also hit just .194 off Ur¨ªas¡¯ changeup, which became his third-most-used pitch, replacing the slider.
¡°Honestly, everything has worked pretty well this year,¡± Ur¨ªas said. ¡°Part of the consistency comes from the fact that I¡¯ve pitched every fifth day and knowing that I¡¯m going to have the ball every fifth day, regardless of what happens. And obviously staying healthy throughout this entire year has allowed me to do everything I have out on the field."
From the moment the Dodgers signed Ur¨ªas at age 16, this is the type of pitcher they envisioned him becoming. The natural comparison was Fernando Valenzuela, given that he was another Mexican left-hander who pitched for Los Angeles. But that comparison was also sometimes unfair to a young pitcher who was trying to find his way.
But through every step, Ur¨ªas handled the expectations by delivering quality results. After dominating in the lower levels of the Minors, he was only 18 when he got called up to Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2015. He was 19 when he made his Major League debut on May 27, 2016.
Ur¨ªas had the makings of becoming the Dodgers' next star, but then adversity hit. In 2017, he underwent season-ending anterior capsule surgery on his left shoulder, an injury that usually takes 12-14 months to heal. In many cases, pitchers don¡¯t come back the same. But over the past three years, Ur¨ªas has come back even better.
¡°This year, I think he just continued to build on his experience,¡± Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. ¡°And it¡¯s kind of propelled him to this season to just be an outstanding performer all year for us.¡±
Thursday¡¯s game is easily the biggest of the season for the Dodgers, and perhaps the most important of Ur¨ªas¡¯ career. But when he speaks, he doesn¡¯t sound like a 25-year-old who just completed his first season as a full-time starter. His demeanor is one of a pitcher who has been through these moments before.
The Dodgers hope Thursday ends with Ur¨ªas celebrating a series-clinching win once again.
¡°He just gets on the mound like he¡¯s been there, he¡¯s done it, and he¡¯s got so much confidence in himself that it just kind of oozes out on everyone else,¡± Los Angeles outfielder Mookie Betts said. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll have that confidence oozing out, and we¡¯ll just go out there to win one game.¡±