Houston Astros pitcher José Urquidy became the first Mexican pitcher to win two World Series Major League Baseball games on Wednesday after playing a key role in his team’s 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

The 26-year-old Mazatlán native struck out seven batters over five innings in Wednesday’s game at Minute Made Park in Houston. The series is now tied at 1-1.

Urquidy’s first World Series victory came in Game 4 of the 2019 series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals. The Nationals won that series 4-3.

“It means a lot,” Urquidy said after Wednesday’s game. “This is something that I have worked for a long time, when I was a kid, when I [played] in Mexico. I’m living the dream,” he said.

“I know there’s a lot of Mexican people … in the stands tonight … supporting me. It makes me feel even more motivated and focused knowing that I have to do a good job, and it makes me proud to represent the country that I’m from.”

The only other Mexican pitchers who have played in World Series game wins are the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela (1981), the Detroit Tigers’ Aurelio López (1984) and the Dodgers’ Víctor González and Julio Urías (2020). However, none of those pitchers has played in two World Series game victories.

A select group of just 12 Mexican-born baseball players have won a World Series title, including González and Urías last year. Urquidy, who debuted in the Major League in 2019, now has the opportunity to become the 13th.

Game 3 of the series will take place in Atlanta Friday while the seventh match, if required, is scheduled for next Wednesday.

With reports from Milenio and Associated Press