On Friday, Julio Urias will become the first 19-year-old to start in an MLB game since Felix Hernandez in 2005. Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times wrote that despite increasing rumors that Urias could be promoted by the Dodgers to the major leagues, his agent insisted that people chill out. But today, news that he’s been called up from the Dodger’s minor league system has blown up on the Internet. Friday’s game will make Julio the youngest Dodger pitcher to debut since Fernando Valenzuela.
In case you needed more proof that Julio is the real deal, then consider than when he was just 17, the Dodgers’ scouting director Logan White said, “This guy’s got the ability to pitch in the big leagues at 18.” According to Yahoo, his teammate Corey Seager described him as incredibly mature, composed, and fearless.
And if this doesn’t already make you want to root for the Mexican teen with a 98-mph fastball, then you should also know about how inspirational he is. As a child, he had three operations in his left eye to remove a benign tumor, and he now has a droopy eyelid as a result. “That’s how God works,” Urias said in Spanish, the Los Angeles Times reports. “He gave me a bad left eye but a good left arm.”
As expected, #LOSDOYERS Twitter is lit, mainly with people who can’t get over how young he is:
https://twitter.com/ViewsFromPapi/status/735856110922403840
Plus some handy pronunciation tips. Don’t get it twisted:
https://twitter.com/AndySantos21/status/735854389575987200