Julio Urías facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Julio Urías |
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Urías pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 4 the 2016 NLCS
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| Free agent | ||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | ||||||||||||||
| Born: August 12, 1996 Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| May 27, 2016, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2023 season) |
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| Win–loss record | 60–25 | |||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 3.11 | |||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 710 | |||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Julio César Urías Acosta (born August 12, 1996), also known as "El Culichi", is a professional baseball pitcher from Mexico. He is currently a free agent. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed him in 2012. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2016. Urías was a top pitcher, leading the National League in wins in 2021. He also led the league in earned run average in 2022. He was named to the All-MLB Second Team in both 2021 and 2022. Urías has not pitched in MLB since September 2023.
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Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Julio Urías is the son of Carlos Urías and Juana Isabel Acosta. He started playing baseball at a young age. In his early teens, he played with the Mexico national youth team.
When he was 14, Urías met Los Angeles Dodgers scout Mike Brito. Brito was famous for discovering other great players. In June 2012, the Dodgers found 15-year-old Urías at a special event in Oaxaca, Mexico. The Dodgers signed him on his 16th birthday, August 12. The team paid a signing fee of US$450,000. Most of this money went to the Diablos Rojos del México team in the Mexican League.
Professional Baseball Journey
Starting in the Minor Leagues
Urías began his professional career on May 25, 2013. He played for the Great Lakes Loons in the Midwest League. He was the youngest player in the league at the time. In his first game, he struck out six batters over three innings. He finished the season with a 2–0 record and a 2.48 ERA. He had 67 strikeouts in 54.1 innings.
In 2014, he played for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He had a 2–2 record with a 2.36 ERA. He struck out 109 batters and walked only 37.
Urías was chosen to play for the World team in the 2014 All-Star Futures Game. He was also named the Dodgers' "Minor League Pitcher of the Year" for 2014. He was invited to the team's major league spring training camp in 2015.
Experts ranked Urías as a top young pitcher. MLB.com called him the 8th-best prospect in baseball. Baseball America named him the #10 prospect in 2015. The Dodgers sent him to the AA Tulsa Drillers to start the 2015 season. He had a 3–4 record with a 2.77 ERA in 13 starts.
Urías was promoted to the AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers on August 31, 2015. He had a strong start to the 2016 season in AAA. He was 4–1 with a 1.10 ERA in seven starts. He also had a 27-inning streak where he didn't allow any runs.
Playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2016–2023)
Rookie Season in 2016
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Urías joined the Los Angeles Dodgers for his major league debut on May 27, 2016. He was 19 years old, making him one of the youngest pitchers to debut in the Majors in many years. He struggled in his first game. However, he earned his first major league win on June 28, 2016, against the Milwaukee Brewers.
In 2016, he pitched in 18 games for the Dodgers, starting 15 of them. He finished with a 5–2 record and a 3.39 ERA. He had 84 strikeouts. He also led the major leagues in pickoffs, with six.
Urías pitched in the playoffs for the Dodgers in 2016. At 20 years old, he became the youngest Dodgers pitcher to ever play in the postseason. He was also the youngest pitcher ever to start a postseason game.
2017 Season
The Dodgers wanted to manage Urías's playing time in 2017. He rejoined the major league starting team on April 27. He made five starts for the Dodgers. In June, while pitching for Triple-A Oklahoma City, Urías had a shoulder injury. This injury ended his 2017 season and required surgery.
2018 Comeback
Urías spent most of the 2018 season recovering from his injury. He started playing again in the minor leagues in July. He made three appearances for the Dodgers in September, pitching four innings without allowing any runs. He was part of the Dodgers team for the 2018 NLCS and 2018 World Series.
2019 Season and Challenges
Urías started the 2019 in the starting rotation due to other player injuries. He had a strong game on April 18 against the Brewers, striking out nine batters. He later moved to the bullpen. He earned his first career save on May 6.
Urías was placed on administrative leave on May 14. He was later reinstated on May 21. On August 17, Urías was suspended for 20 games. He appeared in 37 games, with eight starts. He had a 4–3 record with a 2.49 ERA.
2020: World Series Champion
Urías became a full-time starter for the Dodgers in the 2020 season. He had a 3–0 record with a 3.27 ERA in 11 games. He played a key role in the Dodgers' playoff run. He earned wins in the 2020 National League Wild Card Series and the 2020 National League Division Series.
In the 2020 National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves, he was the winning pitcher in two games. He started Game 3 and pitched the final three innings of the deciding Game 7. Urías then started Game 4 of the 2020 World Series. In Game 6, he pitched the final innings to record the save. He was on the mound when the Dodgers won their championship!
2021: National League Wins Leader
The 2021 season was Urías's best yet. He started 32 games, pitching over 185 innings. He had 195 strikeouts and a 2.96 ERA. His record was 20–3, which was the best in the league. He became the first pitcher in the National League since 2016 to get 20 wins in a season. This was also only the fourth time a Mexican-born pitcher achieved 20 wins.
Urías pitched well in the 2021 NLDS against the San Francisco Giants. He earned a win in Game 2 and helped the Dodgers win the series in Game 5.
2022: National League ERA Leader
Urías continued his excellent performance in the 2022 season. He kept his spot in the Dodgers' starting rotation. Despite a slow start to his win-loss record, he maintained a strong ERA. He had a great June, lowering his overall ERA.
He was not chosen for the 2022 MLB All-Star Game, even with his good numbers. After the All-Star break, he had an amazing July and August. In August, he had a superb 0.90 ERA. For the season, Urías finished with a 17–7 record and 166 strikeouts. He led the National League in ERA with 2.16.
2023: Final Season with the Dodgers
Urías played for the Mexico national baseball team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He was named the Dodgers opening day starter for 2023. He went on the injured list in mid-May due to a hamstring injury. He returned to play on July 1.
Urías made 21 starts for the Dodgers in 2023. He had an 11–8 record and a 4.60 ERA. In September 2023, MLB placed him on administrative leave. His contract with the Dodgers ended at the close of the season, making him a free agent.
Pitching Style
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Julio Urías uses a fastball that usually goes between 90 and 95 miles per hour. It can reach up to 97 mph. He also throws a changeup, a curveball, and a slider. His curveball changed over time to have more vertical movement. He started using the slider in 2015. Urías is also known for his excellent pickoff move. He led the major leagues in pickoffs during his rookie season.
Personal Life
Julio Urías had three surgeries on his left eye when he was younger. These surgeries were to remove a harmless growth. Because of this, his left eye appears nearly closed, but he can still see through it. Urías is a Roman Catholic. He once said about his eye, "That's how God works. He gave me a bad left eye but a good left arm." In May 2015, he had another surgery to help with the condition.
See also
In Spanish: Julio Urías para niños
- List of Major League Baseball players from Mexico
- List of World Series starting pitchers
- Los Angeles Dodgers award winners and league leaders
