The Dodgers rode a vintage Clayton Kershaw performance to a win in Game 1 of the World Series. Game 2 will be a different story, with a "bullpen game" the most likely path for LA.
The Dodgers will have three on-the-rise starting pitchers available for Game 2, manager Dave Roberts told media after Game 1. Right-handed pitcher Tony Gonsolin will start on two days rest after throwing 41 pitches in Game 7 of the NLCS. Los Angeles will also have former top prospects Dustin May and Julio Urias available out of the bullpen. Together, LA would likely hope to get about seven innings out of that trio before turning things over to the back end of their bullpen that was relatively rested Tuesday thanks to Kershaw's outing.
Here's a look at what you need to know about Gonsolin, May and Urías before they play a pivotal role against the Tampa Bay Rays and Blake Snell in Game 2 of the 2020 World Series.
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Who is Tony Gonsolin? And why does he love cats so much?
The Athletic detailed how the Dodgers came across Gonsolin. They were scouting other players at a college-league All-Star Game, but Gonsolin ran a fast 60-yard sprint. Then he hit bombs in the event's home run derby. And then he came out of the bullpen touching 95 miles per hour. That was after his junior year at Saint Mary's College in California, after which he'd gone undrafted.
The Dodgers drafted Gonsolin the following year (2016), in the ninth round, and immediately converted him to a full-time pitcher after he'd mostly relieved while being a stud hitter at Saint Mary's. Gonsolin hit the weight room and could soon throw his fastball up to 100 miles per hour.
Gonsolin rose rapidly through LA's system and made his major-league debut in 2019. Across the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Dodgers, he's put up a combined 2.60 ERA to go with 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He struggled in the NLCS in Games 2 and 7, but did strike out seven Braves in less than five innings in Game 2.
He also likes cats more than dogs. As of March, Gonsolin had five cats at his mother's house.
“I would compare a cat to a puppy,” Gonsolin told The Athletic. “Puppies are soft and playful and fluffy. Cats are that the entire time. They never stop being fluffy or playful. They’re like a little puppy at all times. They can’t sit or stay or whatever, but they’re just small and fluffy.”
Dustin May, red hair and 100-mph fastballs
Before May even throws a pitch, it's impossible to miss him. He's 6-6 and has puffy, curly red hair. Then he unfurls his lanky frame and throws 100-mph fastballs.
May got a surprise Opening Day start for the Dodgers in 2020 after Kershaw was scratched, and he went on to pitch in 12 regular-season games for the Dodgers in 2020 after making his MLB debut in 2019. He had a 2.57 ERA but only struck out 7.1 batters per nine innings despite his dominant stuff.
The World Series isn't being played far from where May grew up — he attended Northwest High School in Justin, Texas, and was a third-round pick by the Dodgers in that same 2016 draft that brought Gonsolin to LA. May signed to attend Texas Tech out of high school but never went.
The Dallas Morning News recently detailed how May was a "late-bloomer" in high school.
Julio Urias lives up to top-prospect billing
The Dodgers signed the left-handed Urias as a 16-year old out of Mexico in 2013. It didn't take long for the hype to arrive. On Baseball America's top prospects list, he ranked No. 51 in the sport before 2014, then rose to No. 10 and No. 4 the next two years.
Urias didn't immediately fly into the majors and find success, though. He had a season-ending left-shoulder injury in 2017 that slowed his development. Urias had made his MLB debut as a 19-year old in 2016 and pitched well, but the Dodgers didn't rely on him as much as expected in 2017 before the injury. The lefty made three relief appearances in the majors in 2018 before settling in as a consistent relief/spot-start presence for L.A. in 2019.
Finally a full-time starter in 2020, Urias recorded a 3.27 ERA in 10 starts in the regular season. He's been used more flexibly again in the playoffs, including pitching three perfect innings to close out the NLCS against the Braves.
If Urías doesn't get into Game 2 out of the bullpen, LA could choose to save and start him in Game 4 after Walker Buehler pitches Game 3.