The Los Angeles Dodgers earned their biggest victory of the season on Saturday night, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-1, in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series to return to the World Series.
A key spot in the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning when the Dodgers were leading 2-1. Walker Buehler gave up a two-out double to Lorenzo Cain and then was removed in favor of young left-hander Julio Urias.
Urias had struck out the likely NL MVP Christian Yelich the night before, so Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went to him again to get perhaps the biggest out of the game.
Yelich put a good charge into one into left-center field, but Chris Taylor made an outstanding catch to rob him of extra bases and end the threat. Urias was pitching for the first time in his career on back-to-back days, and he was able to get the job done for his team.
This game was extra special for Urias though, as it came just one day after his grandmother passed away. Not many players on the team knew what Urias and his family were dealing with until after the game when Kiké Hernandez gave a toast and praised Urias for his bravery, which the Dodgers shared on Twitter:
Before Doc’s speech, @kikehndez told the team that @theteenager7’s grandmother passed last night and he still came and put in work. This is for you, Julio! #LADetermined pic.twitter.com/3pjvs7gDtn
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 21, 2018
Urias is just 21 years old, but has already been through a lot in his professional career. He missed over a year of action after undergoing shoulder surgery in July 2017, and many thought that he would not make it back to the big leagues this season.
He worked hard and returned in the month of September and pitched well enough in his three appearances to earn a spot on the NLCS roster. That was despite being left off the active roster for the NL Division Series.
Urias went on to appear in four NLCS games, allowing just three hits and one run in 3.1 innings while striking out three.
The Mexico native certainly has a bright future with the Dodgers and likely will be on the World Series roster, but for now, he will take the next couple days to grieve with his family after losing someone as special to him as his grandmother.
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