Dusty Baker impressed by José Urquidy's determination during Astros' pivotal win - “You can see a lot of stuff looking at him in the eye"
The Houston Astros moved within one game of the Texas Rangers in first place after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on the back of José Urquidy's strong pitching performance.
Urquidy was the difference between the two sides Friday night, as he pitched six scoreless innings for the reigning World Series champions.
The Mexican started a game for the Astros for the first time in over a month after being a late addition to the squad, replacing rookie pitcher J.P. France.
However, it wasn't a smooth sailing for the 2022 World Series champion, as he was nearly replaced by skipper Dusty Baker during the game.
Baker walked up to the mound with the intent of replacing the pitcher after he conceded a lead-off single, but Urquidy's determination changed the mind of the veteran manager.
“I was like, ‘I got this inning,’” Urquidy said. “I’m going to throw this ball for a double play … I threw, I think, the perfect changeup to Tommy Pham, and we made a double play.”
Baker later revealed getting the answers in Urquidy's steely eyes when he approached the mound during the game.
“Sometimes you look in their face, and you can see fear, you can see desire, you can see heart,” Baker said. “You can see a lot of stuff by looking at him in the face and looking at him in the eye.”
José Urquidy delivers clutch performance for Astros after replacing J.P. France
Urquidy was relayed the news of his start during lunchtime, after J.P. France was scratched from the lineup due to a family emergency. Astros fans feared the worst after the late change to their rotation, but the incoming pitcher tightened all loose ends in a dominant performance from the mound.
He dished out 70 pitches on the night, restricting the Diamondbacks to just two hits to secure a pivotal victory for the Astros.
“That tells you the kind of player he is, the kind of competitor he is,” shortstop Jeremy Peña said. “Such short notice and he came out there and gave [it] his all."
Another win for the reigning World champions will secure a playoff spot for a seventh consecutive season, and they will be counting on future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander who returns to the mound for Saturday's game.