After left-hander Framber Valdez failed to deliver a good start in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday, all that the Houston Astros needed for Game 2 was for Jose Urquidy to pitch five or six solid innings and keep them in the game.
Valdez was rocked for five runs in two frames, so not only did he fail to put the Astros in position to win on Tuesday, but he also taxed the bullpen.
Fortunately for the Astros, Urquidy was able to do just what he was asked: nothing more, nothing less.
Dusty going to his multi-inning weapon Cristian Javier.
Urquidy final line:
5 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 7 K
Exactly what you need from Urquidy.
— Ari Alexander (@KPRC2Ari) October 28, 2021
That’s all Houston needed, and now, they are tied 1-1 in the World Series with the Atlanta Braves in large part thanks to Urquidy.
A Perfectly Solid Outing When Houston Needed It The Most
The right-hander was on the mound for five innings, in which he allowed just two runs to the Braves’ great lineup.
He did concede a solo home run to Travis d’Arnaud, but other than an additional run, he didn’t allow much more to Atlanta’s offense.
His five-inning, two-run performance, at the end of the night, was gold for the Astros.
He also struck out seven.
José Urquidy, 92mph Fastball (foul) and 86mph Changeup (Swinging K), Overlay. pic.twitter.com/vgwFGUKFEn
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 28, 2021
Talented right-hander Cristian Javier took over and delivered a solid outing, too.
He only surrendered a hit and a walk in 1.1 frames, with two strikeouts and, most importantly, no runs.
Phil Maton retired two hitters before giving way to Ryan Pressly, who handled the eighth inning with no problems.
Kendall Graveman, who came over from Seattle at the trade deadline, dealt with the last frame of the game.
For Urquidy, Wednesday night’s outing represented redemption.
In the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox, Urquidy allowed six runs (five earned) in just 1.2 frames, including a painful grand slam.
That night, he just didn’t have it, and it seriously hurt Houston’s chances of winning that game.
On Tuesday, though, the whole world could see that Urquidy is a very good pitcher, not that he needed validation after his excellent showings in the 2019 World Series (5.2 scoreless innings) and in the 2020 Championship Series (2.57 ERA in seven frames).
In addition, he was really solid in the 2021 regular season, with a 3.62 ERA in 107 innings.
Big Games In The Playoffs
Pitching in the playoffs is really, really hard, but Urquidy has mastered the art in the small sample we have at our disposal.
He has pitched 32.1 innings over three years of playoff series, and has a solid, if unspectacular 4.18 ERA.
He has been especially impressive in two World Series (2019 and 2021).
In those, he has 10.2 innings of a sparkling 1.69 ERA, with a 2-0 record.
Perhaps it’s time to put some respect on Urquidy’s name.
If it weren’t for him, perhaps the Astros could be traveling to Atlanta to play three games while being in a 0-2 hole.
He answered the call, however, so that’s no longer the case because the Astros ended up prevailing on Wednesday night.
Now, the series is essentially a best-of-five matchup between the two best teams in MLB.
The Astros, besides a lot of offensive contributors and a solid bullpen, have Urquidy to thank for that.
NEXT: Framber Valdez Fails To Rise To The Occasion In Game 1