A 20-year-old from Mexico will be the youngest starting pitcher in Major League Baseball history to play in a postseason playoff game.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias stepped in for relief in game 5 of the National League Division Series. He helped defeat the Washington Nationals, and because of his winning performance, he will be the starting pitcher Wednesday in Game 4 of the Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs.
"I felt the adrenaline when I was on the bench," Urias said through a translator. "I felt it in Washington, but then I knew that it was something that I could handle and something I could do. I know that I can do it again."
RELATED: Baseball Great David 'Big Papi' Ortiz Honored with Bilingual Editorials
On May 27 Urias made his debut in New York against the Mets. He was 19 years old at the time and the second teenager to start in the majors this century, joining Felix Hernandez who debuted at the same age in 2005.
"I thank God for the accomplishment, but I have to put that aside," Urias said Tuesday. "I really want to play a good game for my team, and that's really what it's about."
Urias made 15 starts for Los Angeles before finishing the regular season at Triple-A Oklahoma City. In all, he's had four stints with the Dodgers in his first season, and Los Angeles has limited him to 16 innings since Sept. 1.
"That's how it's been all year. The decision has been the team's," he said. "The only thing that's important is to be in the mentality of go out there, do my job, and that's really what matters."
Urias hadn't been expected to arrive so early in the season; manager Dave Roberts had anticipated him being a September call-up.
RELATED: Does Major League Baseball Exploit Latino Players?
"It's been incredible," Urias said. "As a ballplayer, I set goals for myself ever since I came to the United States. My goal originally was to set foot on a major league mound and to pitch at a big league level. I did that in May, and now to be able to have this opportunity and to be called on to start, it's great."
Now, he'll face off against Cubs veteran John Lackey, who leads all active pitchers with 21 postseason starts, going 8-5 with a 3.22 ERA in 24 total playoff appearances.
"Sometimes it can be good to be young. You don't know what you're getting into," Lackey said of Urias. "You can just go out there and let your talent take over. And, obviously, he has a lot of that. Back then I was just worried about not messing it up for the older guys."
RELATED: Big Papi Will Become 10th Red Sox Legend To Retire A Number
Cubs manager Joe Maddon will be watching Urias closely and hoping the umpires are scrutinizing his pickoff move, which some have said is close to being a balk.
"When you get to see it on TV, it's pretty obvious, it's not even close," Maddon said. "Give him credit, man, for going through with it. There are certain umpires that are in tune to that, some that are not. That's not an interpretation. That's balking 101 for me. We'll see how it all plays out."