Where Does Mexican Pitching Phenom Julio Urias’ Dodgers Debut Rank Among MLB’s Latino Legends?
Four years after Los Angeles Dodgers scouts discovered him hurling 90-mph fastballs to Sinaloa, Mexico ballplayers, 19-year-old Julio Urias could call himself a major leaguer.
The touted Mexican pitcher made his Dodgers debut Friday night - in New York City, no less - as a fill-in starter for Alex Wood. Urias didn't last past the third inning, allowing three runs on four walks and five hits against a Mets ballclub contending for their second straight World Series appearance.
The gravity of his surroundings was not lost on Urias. Speaking to the L.A. Times following New York's 6-5 victory, Urias reminisced on his arduous journey to the majors.
"I will never forget the first strikeout, especially being against a batter like [Curtis] Granderson," Urias said, through a translator. "I will never forget everything that happened in this game, because this is the happiest day of my life."
Urias is MLB's first teenage starting pitcher since Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners 11 years ago. He's the first teenage starter for the Dodgers since Fernando Valenzuela induced "Fernandomania" in the early 1980s.
Valenzuela and Hernandez each had better debuts, and Urias is decades from mirroring either Latino pitcher's legacy, but Urias' aplomb following the loss shows that he the maturity and confidence to be a superstar.
Compared to other famous Latinos, Urias could have done worse. Here's a look at how notable Hispanic players fared in their major league debut.
Fernando Valenzuela
The Dodgers found Valenzuela and Urias in similar ways: they were scouting other players. Valenzuela was playing the Mexican Central League when scout Mike Brito found him pitching for the Leones de Yucatán.
Valenzuela was a late-season call-up on Sept. 15, 1980, tossing two scoreless inning in relief against the Atlanta Braves. The box score will show that he gave up two runs, but these were not charged to Valenzuela because of fielding errors by the shortstop and third baseman. Valenzuela would not give up a run throughout the remainder of the 1980 season.
Felix Hernandez
Long before the perfect game, six All-Star game appearances, his 2010 CY Young award, Hernandez was a high school graduate being courted by a handful of major league teams, including the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.
Hernandez took a below-market signing bonus to sing with the Seattle Mariners, if only because could play alongside fellow Venezuelan pitcher Freddy Garcia.
On Aug. 9, 2005, a 19-year-old Hernandez became the youngest player to appear in the majors since 1984. He held a potent Detroit Tigers lineup to one earned run on three hits over five innings, striking out four along the way. The Mariners would go on to lose, 3-1, but Hernandez proved to be a force early on.
Pedro Martinez
Dodgers' scouts found Pedro and older brother Ramón at the team's Campo Las Palmas in the Dominican Republic. While the facility would eventually welcome names like Adrian Beltre and Raul Mondesi, the younger Martinez is the only one with a Hall of Fame-caliber resume.
Listed at a generous 5'11, Martinez was often overlooked because of his stature. His fastballs, however, consistently clocked in around 97 mph throughout his 20s, and hitters found his changeup near-unhittable until the day he retired.
Cincinnati was the first major league ballclub to witness - and swing through - Martinez' side-arm delivery. The Reds managed two hits and a walk in Martinez' debut on Sept. 24, 1992. His first career start less than a week later was just as successful, holding the Reds to two runs through six inning while striking out seven.
Mariano Rivera
Derek Jeter may have captained the Yankees throughout his career, but New York could not have considered themselves a dynasty without Mariano Rivera.
The Panama-born reliever will be featured in Cooperstown and the Yankees' Monument Park within the next decade, but his big-league debut was anything but memorable.
Rivera's first appearance came in a blowout loss to the California Angels on May 23, 1005. Then a 25-year-old rookie who toiled in New York's minor league system for about five years, Rivera finally got his shot as a replacement for injured starter Jimmy Key. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings, giving up five earned runs on eight hits. The only silver lining was in his five strikeouts.
Rivera spent most of the 1995 season going back and forth between the Bronx and Triple-A Columbus. But by the time he found his groove a year later, the Yankees were well on their way to their first of five titles with their unparalleled closer.
Juan Marichal
Marichal paved the way for Latino pitchers well before Latinos became an indelible part of America's pastime.
In an era remembered for Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Don Drysdale, the young Dominican held his own; making All-Star game appearances from 1962 to 1971, ranking among the top National League MVP finalists throughout the 60s despite making his name as a pitcher, and aiding the San Francisco Giants to their first-ever World Series since moving to the Bay Area.
The first of 457 career starts came on July 19, 1960 in a complete game shutout of Philadelphia. Marichal was 22-years-old when he first stepped on a major league diamond, but he already had the aura of a legend. His unorthodox high leg kick stymied Phillies batters to the point where only three men reached base, just one reaching on a hit.
Marichal's was destined for the Hall of Fame from the second he stepped on the Candlestick Park pitching mound that day. Fernandez and Rivera may say the same one day, though Valenzuela's period for induction has come and gone.
All Urias can do is learn from their examples.
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