José Urquidy name change: Why did Jose Luis Hernandez change his name?

Mexican baseball pitcher Jose Urquidy changed his name from “Jose Luis Hernandez” to “Jose Urquidy” as a tribute to his mother Alba, who brought him up singlehandedly and supported his career ambitions.

Who Is Jose Urquidy?

Jose Urquidy is a baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Born on May 1, 1995, in Sinaloa, Mexico, Jose began to play as an international free agent under Astros in 2015, before he made his MLB debut in 2019.

During that season, he pitched to a combined 2–1 record and 3.35 ERA in 37+2⁄3 innings. During a game with the Quad Cities River Bandits and Lancaster JetHawks, Jose posted a 6–5 record and 2.94 ERA in 24 games, starting 21.

In 2022, Jose pitched three scoreless innings during the World Series. He has so far appeared in three World Series, and is the first Mexican-born player in Major League history to do so.

In the same year, Jose also won his first World Series championship, after the Astros won six games.  He is the 15th Mexican-born player to win a World Series.

In 2023, Jose signed a one-year deal with the Astros worth $3.025 million.