José Urquidy

Urquidy signed with the Houston Astros as an international free agent on March 2, 2015.[1] He made his professional debut that same year, and spent his first professional season with both the Greeneville Astros and Tri-City ValleyCats, pitching to a combined 2–1 record and 3.35 ERA in 37+2⁄3 innings. He pitched 2016 with the Quad Cities River Bandits and Lancaster JetHawks, posting a 6–5 record and 2.94 ERA in 24 games (21 starts).

Urquidy missed 2017 recovering from Tommy John surgery.[2] He returned in 2018 and pitched for Tri-City and the Buies Creek Astros, going 2–2 with a 2.35 ERA in 13 games (11 starts). He started 2019 with the Corpus Christi Hooks before being promoted to the Round Rock Express.[3]

On July 2, 2019, the Astros promoted him to the major leagues.[4] He made his debut that night in a start versus the Colorado Rockies, pitching 3+2⁄3 innings.[5] In 2019 he was 2–1 with a 3.95 ERA, as in nine games (seven starts) he pitched 41 innings.[6]

In Game 4 of the 2019 World Series vs. the Washington Nationals, Urquidy started for the Houston Astros making him just the third Mexican born World Series starting pitcher. He threw five innings, giving up two hits while striking out four. With the Astros winning the game, Urquidy became the second Mexican-born pitcher to win a World Series game after Fernando Valenzuela.

In 2020 he was 1–1 with a 2.73 ERA in five starts covering 29+2⁄3 innings.[7]

In 2021, Urquidy was 8–3 with a 3.62 ERA in 20 starts covering 107 innings.[7] In the postseason, he started Game 3 of the ALCS versus the Boston Red Sox, and Game 2 of the World Series; although he had a shaky start in the former (lasting less than three innings), he bounced back well in the latter, throwing five innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts as the Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves, 7–2. With the win, Urquidy became the first Mexican-born pitcher to earn multiple World Series wins. He then pitched in relief in Game 5, earning the win in one inning of scoreless ball, making him the winningest internationally born player in World Series history. [8][9]