LOS ANGELES -- Manager Dave Roberts and the Dodgers are giving baseball fans a good reason to let the kids stay up late on a school night.
Twenty-year-old left-hander Julio Urías is poised to become the youngest postseason starting pitcher in Major League history when he takes the Dodger Stadium mound tonight against the Cubs in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers took a 2-1 series lead on Tuesday night with a 6-0 win.
Urias will start opposite Cubs veteran John Lackey.
• NLCS Game 4: Today at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on FS1
:: NLCS: Dodgers vs. Cubs coverage ::
As noted by True Blue L.A., Urias is 20 years and 68 days old today and would break a record held by Royals right-hander Bret Saberhagen. Saberhagen was 20 years, 175 days old when he started Game 2 of the 1984 American League Championship Series for the Royals. Saberhagen surrendered three runs (two earned) in eight innings and took a no-decision in a 5-3 loss to the Tigers.
Urias already is the fourth-youngest pitcher ever to appear in a postseason game, and the youngest ever to earn a victory. He was 20 years, 62 days old when he pitched two scoreless innings in the Dodgers' thrilling win over the Nationals in Game 5 of the NL Division Series on Thursday.
(The youngest postseason pitcher in Major League history was Ken Brett, who was 19 years, 20 days old when he worked an inning of relief for the Red Sox in Game 4 of the 1967 World Series. The Twins' Bert Blyleven and the Reds' Don Gullett also appeared in postseason games before their 20th birthdays.)
"Julio, I think that we expect him to just go out there and compete," Roberts said, "use his pitch mix and go after these guys, give us a chance to win a baseball game. It's what Julio has done all year long."
Urias entered 2016 as MLBPipeline.com's No. 4 prospect and went 5-2 with a 3.39 ERA in 18 games, including 15 starts. He was 3-0 with a 3.05 ERA in nine games (seven starts) at Dodger Stadium.