When 19-year-old left-hander Julio Urias takes the mound tonight against the New York Mets at Citi Field for his major league debut, it will not only be historic but it will also bring to a close a huge chapter for the man credited with finding him.

As he has done for decades, legendary Dodgers scout Mike Brito’s incredible ability to find and sign players from some of the world’s most remote locations will culminate tonight when Urias takes the mound.

“Thirty-five players I signed went on to play in the major leagues,” said Brito during an interview with ThinkBlueLA back on September 26, 2014 when Urias was named as the Dodgers Minor League Pitcher of the Year. “Julio will be my thirty-sixth when he makes it, and he’s ready right now. The only thing is they think he’s too young, they think he may not be ready because of his age. You saw him pitch, what do you think?”

Indeed I saw him pitch – when he was assigned to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2014 and briefly in 2015 and during spring training – and I couldn’t agree more with Brito.

It’s certainly no coincidence that Mike Brito – the man who discovered Fernando Valenzuela and Yasiel Puig – is also the guy who discovered Julio Urias.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

“This guy has an above average fastball, an above average slider, an above average change-up and then he’s got control,” said Brito. “That’s very important. He’s not afraid to go to the hitters and he’s got command of his four pitches.

“I don’t want to say something that will hurt anybody but I think they should have let him go further than one or two innings,” added Brito. “When he comes over here [to Dodger Stadium] he’s going to pitch at least six or seven innings. I make him think that, too. I make him think that he’s ready and he says ‘I’m ready, the only thing I need is give me the ball.’”

After four minor league seasons that began when he was 16 years old, after 69 minor league games that included 63 starts, after 263.1 minor league innings pitched during which he struck out 308 batters while walking only 83 (a 3.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio), Urias will get the ball and will finally fulfill Brito’s dream of Urias pitching in the major leagues. And though the now 80-year-old native of Cuba and 2015 International Scout of the Year had hoped that his young star would be pitching in the big leagues as an 18 year old, there is no one happier this day has finally come than Mike Brito.

When Urias takes the mound on Friday he will be exactly 19 years and 289 days old, thus making him the youngest Dodgers pitcher to start a game since right-hander Dick Calmus did so on August 23, 1963 at 19 years and 228 days old. Calmus did, however, pitch 20 games in relief for the Dodgers during that 1963 season, having made his MLB debut on April 22, 1963 at 19 years and 105 days old. The Dodgers, of course, went on the sweep the New York Yankees in four games to win the 1963 World Series.

You don’t suppose…