He kept playoff hopes alive last night in yet another clutch performance in a career full of them.
Jose Urquidy is not a great pitcher. But he is a great pitcher when it counts.
As an unheralded, un-pedigreed rookie, he shocked everyone by winning Game 4 of the 2019 World Series, getting the Astros back in contention.
In the 2021 WS, he won both of the only two games the Astros won against the Atlanta Braves.
He was injured most of this year and, frankly, mostly bad the few times he has been called upon. Last night, he was a late replacement for J.P. France, scratched due to a “family emergency.”
France has been the Astros’ third-best starter but shaky towards the end of the season. Still, in a must-win game for a playoff berth, most Astros fans probably despaired for the season when they heard Urquidy, ERA 5+, would fill in.
How we forget. Urquidy made yet another solid performance in the clutch, going six scoreless innings. Yes, Arizona hit a few balls hard, and some good defense, especially by Jeremy Pena in the eighth inning, kept Arizona off the boards until the ninth. But Jose did it again. He pitched the Astros to a 2-1 victory in a high-leverage situation.
Every game counts for the Astros and has for the last few weeks. The Astros beat one of the top three pitchers in the NL in a game the D-Backs also considered “must-win.” If the Astros make the playoffs, and the odds are good thanks to last night’s win, Jose Urquidy will have added to his legacy as a memorable part of the Astros’ “Golden Age.”