Urquidy hopes to transcend with Mexico in the World Classic

MEXICO CITY (AP) — After a year in which he was able to complete many innings for the first time in his major league career, José Urquidy thought about it before deciding if he would play with Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.

Now, the pitcher has not only said yes, but he hopes to transcend himself.

Urquidy, 27, played 161 innings with the Houston Astros last season, the bulk of his major league career which began in 2019 and where his highest total was the 107 he pitched the last year.

“The decision was difficult, when they call you you know you are putting your physique and your career at risk, but we are doing it out of love for the country, even though we know the injuries are close,” said Urquidy, who will represent his country as a professional for the first time. .

The World Baseball Classic will begin in March. Mexico shares the group with the United States, Colombia, Great Britain and Canada.

The pitcher from Mazatlán, a Mexican port in the Pacific, said the dates for the tournament are not ideal, as it takes place a few days after the start of spring training when the body is not yet ready for demanding games. .

In his case, he said, he will only have a few outings with the Astros before joining the Aztec team.

“It looks like a game, but with people the adrenaline goes up and you put your body to the max and then there’s a risk of injury, but I want to represent my country and I do that with a lot of love,” added the launcher. “What I’m saying is that you have to respect the players who are looking for a lot of love, the one that we feel for our country.”

Urquidy comes from a season in which he was 13-8 with a 3.94 ERA and is one of the strong cards in the Mexican rotation, where Julio Urías stands out, who will start the opener against Colombia on March 11. .

The other two likely pitchers in the rotation are Patrick Sandoval (Angels) and Taijuan Walker (Diamonbacks).

“I see the roster and the truth is most of us are in the big leagues so I think we’re going to play a big role,” Urquidy added. “Our rotation is one of the strong cards, I don’t know if it’s the best in the tournament, but here we are in a good position to compete with the others.”

In the previous four editions of the World Classic, Mexico’s best result was sixth place which they achieved in 2006 and their worst performance was in 2017 when they finished 13th.

Urquidy thinks things will be different now.

“In 2017 I think I was in rehabilitation from an injury, now I think we are ready for big things, the games are going to be interesting, we all have to be in good physical shape to do something good” , he commented.