Boys to Men: The Julio Urias Story

Danville, Kentucky -- Times of hardship forge bonds of fellowship. Adversity can be a crucible, fashioning ties stronger than steel. In war, your fellow soldiers are your brothers. Crouching in a muddy foxhole as artillery thunders loudly inches from your prone, bloodied body, your companions are your only refuge.

So it is war, so it is in baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers have not seen the foxholes of Belgium, but they are nonetheless a rag-tag band of brothers. The 2016 Dodgers perfectly embody America's "Melting Pot" ideal. The pure chemistry this team shows is enough to make you forget they have a $200+ million dollar payroll and are the subject of a Molly Knight book. The team is a veritable multicultural hodge podge of superstars and gritty role-players, gelling together as one seamless unit. Take a look at some of this team's impact players. There's Clayton Kershaw, Cy Young, ace, unquestioned leader, and emotional bedrock of team. Rich Hill, a 36 year-old journeyman and finesse-pitching maestro. Adrian Gonzalez, 34 year-old clutch-hitting slugger, who with each timely knock makes a case for being the Kirk Gibson of this year's Dodger team. Joe Blanton, 35 year-old comeback kid and relief ace. Kenta Maeda, a 28 year-old Japanese rookie. Yasiel Puig, Cuban superstar turned headcase turned superstar again after a trip to AAA Oklahoma City. Thanks to this melting pot of stars and scrubs, the Dodgers are doing what nobody thought they could: beating the Cubbies in the NLCS.

But folks, no player's contributions to this team have been more improbable than that of 20 year lefty Julio Urias of Culiacán, Mexico. He debuted at age 19 earlier in the 2016 season. He entered the 2016 postseason a boy: he left the pivotal Game 5 of the National League Divisional Series a man.

A boy became a man today. #Dodgers https://t.co/K5kRB4069K

— The Will To Win (@TWTWsports) October 14, 2016

I'll never again disparage Urias for his age. He's a man now. Reminds me of Upham killing Steamboat Willie in Saving Private Ryan. #Dodgers

— The Will To Win (@TWTWsports) October 14, 2016

In times of war, boys lose their innocence. They do things that go against the teachings of their Sunday school teacher and the bible. They experience a trial by fire, and endure or perish. Julio Urias had his trial by fire, and he came out stronger.

At age 20, I was unemployed and trying to make cash by stealing parts from cars parked outside the local movie theater at night. At age 20, Urias was putting his name on the wall alongside other October legends. Little Julio Urias was not young enough to legally drink the celebratory champagne being popped in the Dodgers clubhouse after defeating the Washington Nationals in NLDS Game 5, but nonetheless threw 2 gutsy shutout innings in that game en route to becoming the youngest pitcher in MLB history to earn a win in a postseason game.

In Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, young Julio Urias will meet his mirror opposite: grisly postseason stalwart John Lackey of the Chicago Cubs. At age 37, Lackey already has two World Series titles to his name in addition to expansive postseason experience. Julio Urias hits mid to upper nineties with an electric fastball; Lackey usually sits in the low nineties with excellent command, unafraid to pitch to contact with the flashy Cubs defense behind him. Urias has an unassuming, boyish look about him, standing 6′ 0″ tall. John Lackey stands 6′ 6″ tall and resembles a crazed, murderous woodsman that you might encounter in a horror movie.

John Lackey: a perfect foil to Julio Urias

It would be easy to pick the Cubs to win this game. John Lackey has come up big in October time in and time out. Julio has pitched a total of two postseason innings in his nascent career. But the kid learns fast. In his first game against the Cubs on June 2nd, Julio went 5 innings and gave up 5 runs, including 3 home runs. In his next start against the Cubbies on August 27th, he went 6 innings and allowed 1 run. But here's the catch, folks: he was a boy then, and he's a man now. Nobody would blame you for penciling in a Cubs win when a 37 year-old bear of a veteran gets to face off against a 20 year-old rookie. But this isn't any 20 year-old: he's already pitched in higher leverage spots than some men ever will. I believe in the American melting pot experiment. I believe in Julio Urias.

Joe Blanton for NLDS MVP

Danville, Kentucky -- Folks, I've always resented the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brooklyn Dodgers were a classic team. They gave us Ebbets Field, and iconic players like Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, and Sandy Koufax. The Brooklyn Dodgers were like a '57 Thunderbird: effortlessly elegant, classy, timeless, yet understated. Most importantly, the team's fans were great, salt of the Earth people: heavily-accented, hard-nosed, unpretentious.

The Dodgers franchise has been irreversibly altered for the worse by relocating to the Hollywood hills in Los Angeles, the land of Jack Nicholson and the Kardashians. California sports teams are universally over-hyped and overpaid, earning far more media attention than they actually merit. When most people think of Californian athletes, they think of over-rated softies like Mike Trout or Steph Curry.

Yet, the 2016 Dodgers are a break from this unfortunate trend. This iteration of the Dodgers is notable not for its superstars, but for its role-players. I've already profiled Rich Hill -- the team's unheralded ace -- here. Old Richard Hill will be toeing the rubber for the Trolley Dodgers in the pivotal win-or-go-home NLDS Game 5 in D.C. against the Washington Nationals. Rich Hill may not have Kobe Bryant's superstar status, but he's got more than enough dark-horse spirit for one city.

The NLDS is currently knotted at two games a piece. The winner of Thursday's match-up between Rich Hill and Max Scherzer will advance to NLCS to face that team of destiny from the North Side of Chicago. Thus far, the heroes of the Dodgers post-season have caught the sabermetric world by surprise. Clayton Kershaw has continued to stumble in the postseason, allowing 8 earned runs in 11.2 innings so far in the playoffs. Former phenom Yasiel Puig hasn't done much. NL Rookie of the Year front-runner Corey Seager has been a non-factor outside of a few 1st inning knocks.

Corey Seager would be the obvious MVP choice for the #Dodgers, but he needs to prove he can hit after the 1st inning. #NLDS

— The Will To Win (@TWTWsports) October 10, 2016

Corey Seager is 0-10 in the 2nd-9th inning this series. #NotClutch #Dodgers #NLDS

— The Will To Win (@TWTWsports) October 10, 2016

The Dodgers are not on the precipice of advancing to the NLCS because of the usual star-powered suspects. The Dodgers are, in my opinion, likely to advance to the NLCS because of two unsung heroes: Chase Utley and Joe Blanton. That's right folks: the best hope for the 2016 Dodgers is the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies.

The 2008 Phillies were a blue-collar team, unlike the business-casual/formal attire ethos of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is a city of Thai-fusion and deconstructed molecular gastronomy dishes. Philadelphia is a city where humble folks eat cheese-steaks out of tin pails on their lunch break.

You won't find this in LA, folks

Fortunately for the Dodgers, Utley and Blanton have brought a fierce sense of urgency to a Dodgers team that stands on the brink of October glory, but that also stands on the brink of elimination. Blanton, in particular, has all but single-handedly saved the Dodgers' bacon. He's the grittiest guy to come out of Pennsylvania since "middle-class Joe" Biden, and a key reason the Dodgers have been able to withstand the loss of clubhouse stalwart A.J. Ellis.

In total, Joe Blanton has pitched 3.2 scoreless innings so far in the NLDS. But his 0.00 post-season ERA doesn't tell the whole story: he's entered the game in crucial moments and kept the Nationals off the board. In Game 3, Blanton entered the game with the bases loaded, immediately after the shaky Dodgers bullpen blew a 5-2 lead. The game was knotted at 5-5. Allowing a run could mean watching Swaggy P sink meaningless buckets in Lakers' preseason games for the rest of October.

He was never touching that: https://t.co/7T91VFyWCv @TheHartford #PrevailingMoments pic.twitter.com/oRZlGCSD0Y

— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2016

Blanton did not give in. He quietly recorded an out to escape the bases-loaded jam and then recorded 3 more outs for good measure, bridging the gap to LA's lock-down closer, Kenley Jansen. Blanton saved the Dodgers' season from spiraling out of control and notched a post-season W for his heroic effort. How did he get it done? Pinpoint command and a slippery slider nastier than Chinese food you forgot about and left in your car for a few days.

Blanton is the definition of a Most Valuable Player: without him, the Dodgers likely blow the lead in Game 1 and fail to rally in Game 3. Blanton's maestro relief-pitching efforts are the common thread running through the Dodgers' two victories in the NLDS so far. If they win the make-or-break Game 5 this Thursday, you can bet Blanton's sweaty fingerprints will be all over it.

Joe Blanton, the Dodgers' relief ace, likely won't receive much consideration for NLDS MVP, but he deserves it. Unfortunately they don't even give out an MVP award for the NLDS, folks. They should make one, and give it to Blanton.

Blanton isn't a man suited to the bright lights and flashing cameras. Being overlooked is nothing new to Mr. Blanton. He retired from baseball in 2014, turning his back on the game after ascending to its pinnacle with the Phillies team that won the World Series in 2008. He left baseball with a bitter taste in his mouth, posting a 2-14 record and 6.04 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels in 2013. After getting chewed up and spat out by baseball, Blanton has regained his elite status by sheer force of will. If the Los Angeles Dodgers win their first title since 1988 and regain some of the Brooklyn team's charm, you can sure as hell bet Big Game Blanton will have alot to do with it.

Rich Hill: LA's Last Best Hope

Danville, Kentucky -- In his 1949 treatise titled The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell forwarded the concept of the monomyth. In Campbell's estimation, all human storytelling follows a universal narrative. An every-man hero abandons his mundane, familiar lifestyle to embark on a mysterious and dangerous adventure. Eventually, the hero discovers within himself strength and might beyond his imagination, culminating in the ultimate defeat of his nemesis.

But every hero requires a mentor: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Gandalf, Doc Brown, Optimus Prime, or the biblical John the Baptist. Baseball teams hungry for postseason glory are no different. Show me a World Series champion, and I'll show you a wizened, grisly old veteran who taught the team how to rub dirt on their wounds and never stop fighting. Just take a look at the rosters of the past three World Series Champions. The 2013 Boston Red Sox had David Ortiz, John Lackey, and Jake Peavy as its emotional anchors. The 2014 San Francisco Giants had the aging finesse pitcher Tim Hudson, and also Jake Peavy. The 2015 World Series Champion Kansas City Royals™ didn't have Jake Peavy, but they did have the towering Chris Young and consummately professional Ryan Madson.

Folks, Rich Hill can be the Los Angeles Dodgers' Jake Peavy.

In this Danville man's expert opinion, a showdown between the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series is looking increasingly likely. The over-hyped Bryce Harper has been in hibernation for several months, clearing a path for the Dodgers to defeat the Washington Nationals. Meanwhile, the Cubs hold a commanding 2-0 series lead in the NLDS over the seemingly un-killable Giants. Don't count out the Giants until their pulse is gone and the corpse has gone into rigor mortis, but I like the Cubs' chances to win that series too. The real question is: do the Dodgers have the veteran presence of mind to get past this historically excellent Cubs team?

I know nerds are getting hot and bothered about the Cubs. They're the odds-on favorites to win it all this October and ride back to the North-Side of Chicago atop a celebratory parade. Nate Silver and company, the folks who have continually bungled 2016 presidential election forecasts, have all but crowned the Cubs as World Series champs.

 We've all seen the saberphiles drool about their run differential.

ICYMI: that cubs run differential... pic.twitter.com/86KbmTNMtv

— Ben Dilday (@BenDilday) October 5, 2016

But don't sleep on the Dodgers. The Cubbies may have David Ross and Ben Zobrist to provide veteran leadership; but don't underestimate what sagacious slugger Adrian Gonzalez brings to the table for the Trolley Dodgers, especially when combined with the supernatural phenom talent of ace Clayton Kershaw.

The Dodgers' true ace-in-the-hole is Rich Hill, a 36-year old left-handed pitcher who is craftier than the lawyers who keep getting Hillary Clinton acquitted for manslaughter and purgery. Rich Hill seemed to be destined for the glue factory after hitting free agency last off-season, consigned to irrelevance like the Randy Wolfs of the world. But then he did something that the spreadsheet gazers didn't expect: he had a career season with the Oakland Athletics, pitching like some sort of 'Clayton Kershaw-lite' when he wasn't battling blisters and other random health issues. After being snubbed by most MLB teams last offseason, Hill is now poised to make bank when he hits free agency this offseason, especially in a market mostly devoid of good pitchers.

Now, 'Clayton Kershaw-lite' and the real Clayton Kershaw have an opportunity to lead the Dodgers to their first championship since the heroic Kirk Gibson wore Dodger blue. A 1-2 punch of lefties Kershaw and Hill can match anybody in the league.

Old Richard Hill doesn't overpower hitters; he has what old-school scouts would call a 'Bugs Bunny' curveball that loops and droops across the strike-zone as if he's pulling it with a string. Velocity alone doesn't get it done in the postseason. You need grit, skill, and wiliness, like Mr. Hill has.

Rich has been around the block: been there, done that. He's played on the East Coast with the Red Sox, and on the West Coast with Billy Beane's team. He's peed on his blisters, like all men of a certain age eventually do. And at age 36, he isn't getting any younger. He wants a ring, and he wants it now. Clayton Kershaw, a mythic hero in the Campbellian sense, may be the team's spiritual leader. But to accomplish his mission and discover his own inner powers he will need a mentor, just like Luke Skywalker and Marty McFly did. Kershaw needs Rich Hill. The Dodgers need Rich Hill. He's their only hope.