Dodgers News: Julio Urias First Mexican-Born Pitcher to Win ERA Title
The Dodgers lost their penultimate game of the regular season by a final of 5-2 on Tuesday night, but Julio Urías -- with a strong 5 inning effort in his final tune-up before the postseason -- was able to secure the National League ERA title for the first time in his career.
Notably, he became the first Mexican-born pitcher to achieve that feat in MLB history.
El Culichi finishes the season with a 2.16 ERA, best among National League qualifiers and second best in baseball (Justin Verlander has a 1.75 ERA with the Houston Astros).
Urías spoke about the accomplishment with the media after the game.
“It’s another accomplishment for m. You try to get better every year. I felt like last year was an incredible year, winning 20 games was something really important in my career. Winning the ERA title isn’t easy, you have to beat a lot of great pitchers. I feel very fortunate to have accomplished that.”
He finished his second straight campaign with 30 or more starts and has somehow flown under the radar in becoming the ace of the Dodgers starting rotation. Dave Roberts made that much known on Tuesday.
“Obviously I’m biased, but he gets my vote,” the manager said in support of Julio winning the NL Cy Young award. “He’s been an ace for us all year long, the consistency, the performance. I still value earned run average. There’s going to be a lot of fun debating for the next couple of months and he’s backed up a great year with another great one.”
Head to head with Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, Urías holds the edge in wins (17 to 14) and ERA (2.16 to 2.28). Alcantara, however, has thrown six complete games and nearly 54 more innings than Julio, which could ultimately give him the edge in some Cy Young voting.
Regardless of the outcome, The Teenager has come into his own and has put together one of the best seasons in recent Dodger history.
Congratulations to Julio for a phenomenal season!
