Baltimore’s Hot Corner Hero: How Ramón Urías’ Clutch Bat Is Powering the Orioles’ Playoff Push

HOUSTON — Ramón Urías is suddenly the name every baseball fan is typing into search bars after an unforgettable weekend that showcased why the Houston Astros pounced on the versatile Mexican infielder at the trade deadline. Trade-deadline stunner sets the stage Urías admitted he was “shocked” when the Baltimore Orioles dealt him to Houston on July 31, a move that ended his four-year stint in Charm City and plugged a defensive gap for the AL-West leaders. The 31-year-old has wasted no time justifying the swap. The perfect-game spoiler that went viral On Friday night, Orioles rookie Brandon Young was four outs from the 25th perfect game in AL/NL history when Urías chopped an infield single and forced an errant throw, ending the bid and flooding social media timelines with highlights. “You’re trying to break it. You don’t want to go home and know they just threw a perfect game,” Urías said afterward. Walk-off magic 24 hours later Saturday’s encore was even louder: with two outs in the 12th, Urías outran a potential double play to plate Carlos Correa and seal a 5-4 walk-off win over Baltimore. The sequence put “Ramon Urias walk-off” among the weekend’s most-searched phrases. Why Urías matters to the Astros’ playoff push • Clutch contact: Since arriving, Urías owns a .327 average and .872 OPS in high-leverage spots. • Defensive flexibility: He has already started games at second, third and short, allowing manager Joe Espada to rest banged-up regulars. • Veteran calm: Urías’ postseason experience with Baltimore last year is invaluable to a roster eyeing its third straight AL pennant. SEO snapshot — key numbers • 2 game-swing: Houston’s back-to-back wins widened its AL-West lead to 1.5 games over Seattle. • 4.30 seconds: Statcast clocked Urías’ sprint down the line on the walk-off as his fastest home-to-first time of 2025. • 65% spike: Google searches for “Ramon Urias Astros” jumped 65% in the 24 hours after the perfect-game spoiler. What’s next for Ramón Urías? The Astros open a crucial three-game set against the Mariners on Monday. Expect Urías to stay hot: he’s hitting .356 lifetime at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, where his lone multi-homer game occurred in 2023. Bottom line From breaking up history to creating new highlights, Ramón Urías has flipped Houston’s pennant race and the online conversation in just 48 hours. Keep those search tabs open—this story is only getting started.