MEXICO CITY — 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.
Urquidy, 27, covered 161 innings with the Houston Astros last season, the most of his major league career that began in 2019 and where his highest tally was the 107 he threw last year.
“The decision was difficult, when they call you, you know that you are putting your physique and your career at risk, but we do it out of love for the country, although we know that injuries are close,” said Urquidy, who will represent his country as a professional for the first time. .
The World Baseball Classic will kick off in March. Mexico shares the group with the United States, Colombia, Great Britain and Canada.
The pitcher originally from Mazatlán, a Mexican Pacific port, said that the dates of the tournament are not ideal, because it takes place days after starting spring practices when the body is not yet ready for demanding games.
In his case, he said, he will only have a couple of outings with the Astros before joining the Aztec team.
“It seems like a game, but with the people the adrenaline rises and you put your body to the maximum and then there is a risk of injury, but I want to represent my country and I do it with a lot of love,” added the pitcher. “What I do say is that you have to respect the players who go for a lot of love, the one we feel for our country.”
Urquidy comes from a season in which he had a 13-8 record 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 first game 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 that most of us are in the Major Leagues, that’s why I feel that we are going to play a great role,” added Urquidy. “Our rotation is one of the strong cards, I don’t know if it’s the best in the tournament, but there 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 the sixth place it reached in 2006 and its worst performance was in 2017 when it finished 13th.
Urquidy believes that now things will be different.
“In 2017 I think he was in rehabilitation from an injury, now I think we’re ready for big things, the games are going to be interesting, we all have to be physically fit to do something good,” he commented.
