At the age of 19, most people don't know where their lives are going as they sat on the couch or worked a summer job. But Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias was making his major-league debut in New York against the defending National League champions. Of course, things didn't go exactly as Urias and the Dodgers would have hoped for.
Against the Mets, the 19-year-old allowed three runs, five hits and four walks while striking out three of his eight outs. He had already reached 81 pitches, almost near his highest total in a minor-league start this season (89).
Urias was not sharp early on, throwing a 36-pitch first inning that started off on a positive note but worsened quickly. After striking out two of the first three batters in between a double, Urias walked Yoenis Cespedes, gave up an RBI double to Neil Walker and two singles to Juan Lagares and Kevin Plawecki
Nerves were clearly an issue for Urias, as only 42 of his 81 pitches on Friday went for strikes. After a 1-2-3 second inning, Urias ran right back into trouble with two outs in the third, allowing a single and two walks before he was pulled from the game.
Urias was just never right in this game, showing his worst command of the year. Of the 17 batters he faced, Urias got just four first-pitch strikes. Any player, no matter how young or old, will usually run into problems when they are falling behind in the count early and that was one of Urias' problems.
Despite the poor start, it's crucial to not lose sight in what Urias even being on the mound today represents. He became the first under-20 pitcher to take the mound since Felix Hernandez in 2005. It a game of remarkable players who are gifted beyond belief, a 19-year-old took the stage and just didn't pitch well.
The future is still bright for Urias. He had the best stuff in the minors, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted that Zack Greinke called him "the most perfect pitching prospect I've ever seen." Urias will get another run soon and even if that start or relief appearance goes poorly, it bares no indication of his career. After all, he is nearly four years younger than guys like Noah Syndergaard, Jose Fernandez and Vincent Velasquez, guys who haven't even entered their prime yet.