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In 2019, José Urquidy returned to the United States for his first Spring Training with the Astros, and as the season began, he was promoted to Double-A and Triple-A, the latter category being considered the gateway to the Major Leagues
The Sinaloan José Urquidy, in his first year of career in 2012, had a good season with the Houston Astros. The native of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, was the 128th Mexican native to make his debut in the MLB, and in 2020, he again made a mark in the postseason, earning himself a spot as a starter for the following year, when he became the Latin American pitcher with the most wins in the World Series.
José Urquidy was signed on March 2, 2015. In that year, he began playing in the Rookie and Short Season Class A categories, with a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 3.35. A year later, he repeated the season in Class A, where he improved his record to 6-5 and an ERA of 2.94 in 24 games, 21 of them as a starter.
In addition, Urquidy missed the entire 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery recovery. He returned a year later to embark on a rapid ascent in the Astros’ system. He went from Short Season Class A to Advanced Class A in the same season, and to cap off the year, he pitched for his hometown team, Los Venados de Mazatlán, in the 2018-2019 season of the Mexican Pacific League.
José Urquidy’s First Spring Training with the Astros
En 2019, José Urquidy regresó a Estados Unidos para su primer Spring Training con los Astros, y al comenzar la temporada, fue ascendido a Doble-A y Triple-A, siendo esta última categoría considerada como la antesala de las Grandes Ligas. There, Urquidy showcased his best pitches, and he even tied the franchise’s record for strikeouts in a game with 12, a record that had stood since 2006.
Later in the season, and in need of someone to fill a spot in the starting rotation, the Houston Astros decided to call up Urquidy for his debut on July 2, 2019, as the opening pitcher against the Colorado Rockies. He became the second Mexican starter to begin a game for Houston, following Édgar González’s performance in 2012. Furthermore, he is the first native Mexican player to be fully developed by the Astros’ system, from his signing to his arrival in the Major Leagues.
Likewise, he finished the 2019 season with a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 3.95, which was an improvement from the 10.50 ERA he had after just his second appearance in the Major Leagues.
With Houston in the postseason, he made his playoff debut during the Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. His next appearance was in the game that sent the Astros to the World Series, a 2.2-inning relief outing in which he gave up a home run that brought the Yankees within one run of tying the game. However, the native of Mazatlán contained the onslaught and completed an important relief appearance for the Astros, which, according to manager A.J. Hinch, ‘We don’t win if Urquidy doesn’t come in
The Astros Extend José Urquidy’s Contract
In 2023, the Mazatlán pitcher José Urquidy received a contract extension to continue with the Houston Astros, the team with which the player won a World Series ring in 2022 by defeating the Atlanta Braves
Urquidy will have a new manager for the upcoming season and will have to analyze the offer presented by the team, as under Dusty Baker, he was a starter and later became a situational reliever.
With information from El Sol de Mazatlán, Séptima Entrada, Récord.
