LOS ANGELES — It might be expected that Sandy Koufax’s presence would inspire a pitchers’ duel. Instead, it triggered an overdue Los Angeles Dodgers offensive outburst in a 7-1 victory Saturday over the Cleveland Guardians.
Check that. Consider one pitcher sufficiently motivated by the fact that the man who threw four no-hitters and won three Cy Young and two World Series most-valuable-player awards in the 1960s sat next to the Dodgers’ dugout.
Julio Urias ended a personal three-game losing streak, giving up one unearned run and two hits in six innings. He is Exhibit A of why a pitcher’s win-loss record can be a poor indicator of effectiveness. Last season, Urias was 20-3 with a 2.96 ERA. This season, his ERA is 2.56 but his record is 4-6.
