Ugueth Urbina

One of the best closers in the history of the Montreal Expos, a key contributor to the second Florida Marlins team to win the World Series, and a two-time All-Star, Ugueth Urbina had meaningful on-field accomplishments overshadowed by major off-field troubles that resulted in a criminal conviction and a long prison sentence.

The son of Juan Manuel Urbina, an accountant, and Maura Villarreal, Ugueth had two brothers, Ulmer and Ulises. He began his pro career at an early age. On July 2, 1990, Montreal scout Emilio Carrasquel signed Urbina, then just 16.1 He pitched nearly exclusively as a starter in the minors and won more than 60 percent of his games with an ERA of under 3.00.

In 1994, Urbina’s father was killed in a home robbery. “When I remember my dad is when I’m tired, or when I feel like I’m getting lazy,” Urbina said. “Then he comes back to me. He pushes me to go on. … [The gunmen] were caught and dealt with. That’s all.”2

Urbina may have dismissed the impact that the murder of his father had on his life, but the incident understandably seemed to impact him both during and beyond his career. Urbina had a fierce determination to succeed3 and struggled with anger management. “You have to look at the guy at the plate like you want to cut his throat,” Urbina told teammate Miguel Batista.4 Pedro Martinez, who played with Urbina in both Montreal and Boston, warned, “He’s very, very aggressive, like he will do anything. That’s why I don’t dig too much into his personal life. Because you don’t know why, but he’s not afraid of anybody.”5 A scout added, “He’s tough as nails, a great competitor. But he’s a tough character who … has lived life to the fullest off the field. There’s some baggage there. … That angry approach, that aggressiveness, plays very well on the field, but sometimes it doesn’t play as well in society.”6

Urbina played winter ball in Venezuela for Leones del Caracas and “was part of a Leones bullpen in 1994-95 that recorded 40 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings” to set a league record.7

Urbina made his big-league debut on May 9, 1995, against the Philadelphia Phillies. He gave up two runs in two innings and struck out two. Urbina pitched three games in May, winning his second appearance in relief, went back to the minors, and returned for four July starts. Making his first start in his first home appearance on July 12, Urbina, 21, had his best game of the year, getting the win after giving up just three hits and one unearned run in seven innings against the Chicago Cubs. “We know he’s a can’t-miss kid,” Expos manager Felipe Alou said of Urbina. “He might not be ready now, but when he is, he’s going to be around for a long time.”8

Alou’s analysis proved prescient: While not quite ready, Urbina would have a lengthy career. Montreal sent Urbina back to AAA Ottawa after acquiring Dave Leiper from Oakland. “He didn’t have command of his fastball,” general manager Kevin Malone explained. “He needs to be developed. You don’t develop anybody when they can just go four or five innings every five days. He needs more time, and Triple A is the best place for him.”9

Prior to the 1996 season, Urbina underwent surgery “to repair a small tear in his right arm”10 as the Expos wavered about how to handle the promising pitching prospect and contemplated using him as a closer. The idea failed to take hold when Urbina began the season with a 7-3 record as a starter, but after he lost two straight decisions, Montreal moved him to the bullpen, where he once again earned raves from his manager. “I’ve always said he reminds me of Mariano Rivera,” Alou said in September 1996. “I wouldn’t hesitate to use him as a closer this month, either, if for some reason Mel Rojas isn’t available. He reminds me a bit of what John Wetteland was like when he showed up here, with little command of his fastball.”11 In his second season, Urbina set career highs in wins (10), starts (17), innings (114), and strikeouts (108). He never started a game again.

Again, Urbina had surgery, this time on his elbow.12 He did not miss any time due to the injury and had 27 saves in 1997, his first season as a closer. Urbina had the best season of his career in 1998. On April 19 against Houston, he became the first Expos reliever to strike out six (all swinging) in two innings.13 Urbina made his first All-Star Game, where catcher Javy Lopez struggled with the movement on Urbina’s pitches.14 He finished the season with a 1.30 ERA and 34 saves. In 1999 Urbina’s ERA rose to 3.69, but thanks to “a 97-mph fastball, a slider consistently over 90 mph and a developing breaking ball,”15 he led the National League with a career-high 41 saves.

Off the field, Urbina faced allegations of assault stemming from a September 1999 fight at a Montreal bar that also involved his brother Ulmer. In his ruling a year after the incident, a Quebec judge said, “There is a reasonable doubt on the identity of the assailant, so I have to benefit the accused and acquit him.”16 Urbina soon confronted more serious legal problems.

In 2000, Urbina did not replicate his 1997-1999 record of success. He was hit hard early in the season, bottoming out with an ERA of 11.25 after his first five appearances, which featured two blown saves, the second of which resulted in a walk-off win by Pittsburgh. Even his usually optimistic manager Alou said, “Urbina’s fastball was slower than usual. Maybe it was the cold weather, I don’t know.”17

Urbina expressed no concerns about his loss of speed. “Sometime if you feel weaker, you have to use your head, try to hit the corners,” he said. “I know the league more, so I’m mixing it up more.”18

Urbina had another injury and required two more elbow surgeries19 that ended his 2000 season after an unlucky and ineffective 13 games. Younger brother Ulmer’s professional career ended after 2000. After signing at the age of 17 on February 10, 1998,20 he had pitched three minor-league seasons in the Montreal organization, going 5-4 with two saves and a 4.72 ERA.

Urbina’s struggles continued in 2001, when he had an ERA of 4.24 with Montreal, his worst figure with the Expos since his 6.17 ERA in 1995. Montreal shopped the struggling closer and nearly traded him to the New York Yankees for two prospects.

Urbina and one of the prospects both flunked their physicals, so the teams did not consummate the trade,21 a failure that came to haunt the Yankees. In July Montreal traded Urbina to Boston for Tomo Ohka and Rich Rundles. Dan Duquette, the Red Sox’ general manager, said he was “not concerned about Urbina’s elbow and declared that the reliever was ‘death to right-handed hitters.’”22

Urbina regained his effectiveness in Boston although he disliked the fact that he served as both a closer and a set-up man due to the presence of Derek Lowe. At the end of the 2001 season, Urbina requested a trade, but then rescinded the request.23

Urbina made the All-Star team for the second and last time in his career in 2002. He pitched scoreless ball in 20 straight games over two months, from April 26 through June 26, but then went 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in July. The Red Sox deemed the valley more indicative of his future than the peak and made no effort to retain Urbina during free agency.24

Urbina signed with the Texas Rangers. “Ugueth Urbina has a quality arm and has been very successful in late-inning situations throughout his career,” Rangers general manager John Hart said. “A young veteran at the age of 28 … he will be a positive influence on the development of Francisco Cordero and our other young relievers.”25

Losing baseball squads do not need to pay veteran closers big salaries. Just as Montreal had unloaded Urbina for prospects, Texas followed suit. On July 11 Texas traded Urbina to the Florida Marlins for three Double-A players, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, the number one overall pick in the 2000 draft, outfielder Will Smith and pitcher Ryan Snare. They also agreed to pay $550,000 of the remaining $2.3 million on Urbina’s contract.

The trade could have worked out for both teams. While Smith never made the majors, and Snare appeared in just a single game, Gonzalez hit 317 homers, albeit just seven for the Rangers. Urbina meanwhile made a major impact on the Marlins’ second World Series title.

After leading Florida with 28 saves in 2003, Braden Looper had just one playoff save. Setting up Looper at first, Urbina went 3-0 with six saves and a 1.41 ERA for the Marlins during the regular season and then 1-0 with four saves during the postseason. In the NLCS, he pitched three hitless and scoreless innings to close Games Six and Seven in Florida’s comeback win over Chicago. Urbina then had two more saves in the World Series as Florida beat the Yankees.26 He earned a save in Game One, blew a save opportunity in Game Four, then earned another save in Game Five.

In the offseason Urbina had another troubling off-field incident in Caracas but again escaped legal penalty after a judge ruled that he was defending himself against a would-be robber when he fired a gun at him.”27

Gunplay generally hampers one’s free-agent prospects, and Urbina did not land another gig until Detroit signed him on March 29, 2004. Urbina struggled in 2004 with an ERA of 4.50 and only 21 saves. He last appeared on August 31 as Venezuelan kidnappers abducted his mother and demanded a ransom payment of $15 million.28

Having already dealt with his father’s murder a decade earlier, Urbina must have felt unbearable pressure in trying to rescue his mother “amid concerns that giving in to kidnappers’ demands will set a dangerous precedent for other major leaguers and their families … in this baseball-mad country.”29

Amid news in November that the kidnappers had lowered their demand to $6 million, the Tigers chose to bring Urbina back for 2005 for a $4 million salary.30 His mother was freed after being held captive for nearly six months.31

With a 2.63 ERA, Urbina pitched much more effectively in his second season in Detroit, but a rebuilding team like the Tigers had little need for an aging closer. On June 8, 2005, Detroit sent Urbina and Ramon Martinez to Philadelphia for Placido Polanco. Urbina had just one save for the Phillies, while Polanco played more than four seasons for Detroit, highlighted by being named the MVP of the 2006 ALCS.

After news of the trade broke, a report came out alleging that “Urbina was part of an alcohol fueled altercation” with an unnamed Tiger teammate.32 Then he was arrested after an incident on October 15, 2005. In March 2007, Urbina was sentenced to 14 years in prison after a dozen witnesses testified that he and others “hit them repeatedly, struck them with machetes, doused them with gasoline and burned them during a torture session to determine who had stolen a pistol from Urbina’s farmhouse. …”33

Urbina’s son Juan, a left-handed pitcher born in 1993, pitched in the New York Mets farm system for five seasons. New York closer Francisco Rodriguez, a fellow Venezuelan, watched over the younger Urbina at the imprisoned Ugueth’s request.

Urbina’s son Ugueth, born in 1994, signed with Seattle in 2011 and pitched in the Mariners’ farm system for three seasons.34

Ugueth Urbina served more than five years of his sentence before winning early release for good behavior. An approving Bobby Abreu, a fellow countryman who had played with Urbina in Philadelphia, said, “I’m very happy because my buddy is … free. Anyone who knows him well, knows his humanity. … I love and respect him a lot.”35

Seeking to make the transition from a prison cell to the pitcher’s mound, Urbina, not quite 39, considered a comeback. He had a great deal to prove both on and off the field. “The first order of business is pitching in Venezuela,” he said.36 Urbina pitched in the 2013-2014 Venezuelan winter season with Leones del Caracas, but struggled, ending his playing career by putting on 13 runners in seven innings. Urbina had pitched 10 seasons in Venezuela, finishing with a career mark there of 16-7 with 13 saves and a 2.44 ERA.37

At the end of the 2022 season, Urbina remained 10th on the all-time Montreal/Washington franchise leaderboard in games with 296 and third in saves with 125. On the diamond, Urbina shone as a fiery closer who contributed to a championship, but off the field his inability to overcome tragic familial circumstances, which may have caused his own personal demons, and criminal actions forever marred his reputation as an accomplished athlete.

Last revised: January 31, 2026

Ugueth Urbina, Courtesy of the Boston Red Sox.

NOTES

1 Guide 1997 (Montreal Expos media guide), 208.

2 David Beard, “Reliever Urbina’s Talent as Rare as His Name,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale), March 22, 1998.

3 Urbina “received the news of his father’s death from Dave Jauss, his manager at Double-A Harrisburg (Pennsylvania). Several months shy of his 21st birthday, Urbina realized that he was now the head of his family. “It’s a tribute to Ugueth how he handled it,” Jauss said. “He did not let down his family. He was going to be the breadwinner of his family and take care of his brothers.” John Lowe, “Urbina Found Focus after Father’s Death,” Detroit Free Press, April 14, 2004.

4 Brendan Roberts, “Unhittable Urbina,” The Sporting News, June 15, 1998: 41.

5 Bob Hohler, “Fired-Up Fireman,” Boston Globe, April 19, 2002: D5.

6 Gordon Edes, “Pirates’ Ship Righted by Experienced Hand,” Boston Globe, April 28, 2002: D11.

7 Jorge Arangure Jr., “Former Pitcher Sentenced for Attempted Murder Is Reportedly Released,” New York Times, December 28, 2012.

8 “Expos’ Rookie Tough Cookie on Cubs,” Titusville (Pennsylvania) Herald, July 13, 1995: 19.

9 Jeff Blair, “Montreal Expos,” The Sporting News, August 7, 1995: 22.

10 Jeff Blair, “Montreal Expos,” The Sporting News, February 19, 1996: 28.

11 Jeff Blair, “Montreal Expos,” The Sporting News, September 9, 1996: 21.

12 Jeff Blair, “Montreal Expos,” The Sporting News, December 30, 1996: 25.

13 Guide 1999 (Montreal Expos media guide), 216.

14 Michael Farber, “Underexposed Save Opportunities Are Few and Far Between for Montreal’s Ugueth Urbina,” Sports Illustrated, July 27, 1998.

15 Stephanie Myles, “Montreal,” The Sporting News, January 24, 2000: 62.

16 Tu Thanh Ha, Toronto Globe and Mail, September 6, 2000. Untitled clipping from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s file on Urbina. Thanks to reference librarian Cassidy Lent of the Hall for scanning the Urbina file.

17 “Aven and Kendall Sink Expos in Ninth,” Tyrone (Pennsylvania) Daily Herald, April 14, 2000: 4.

18 Stephanie Myles, “Decision to Go with Vidro at Second Gets Fast Results,” The Sporting News, April 17, 2000: 27.

19 Stephanie Myles, “With Urbina Out for Season, Kline Will Get Closer’s Role,” The Sporting News, July 10, 2000: 38.

20 Guide 2000 (Montreal Expos media guide), 222.

21 Buster Olney, “Urbina Deal Falls Through, So Yanks Still Seek Reliever,” New York Times, June 20, 2001: D3. More than a month after the failed trade, Urbina did not understand how he had failed to pass the physical, claiming that the New York doctor “said I was fine. I don’t know what kind of physical I didn’t pass. Maybe their dental physical.” Gordon Edes, “Lowe’s Direction Altered by U-turn,” Boston Globe, August 2, 2001: E6.

22 Murray Chass, “Red Sox Pick Up Urbina, And the Expos’ $1 Million,” New York Times, August 1, 2001: D3.

23 Michael Silverman, “Boston Red Sox,” The Sporting News, January 28, 2002: 57.

24 Michael Silverman, “Boston Red Sox,” The Sporting News, October 7, 2002: 18.

25 United Press International, “Ugueth Urbina Signs With Rangers,” clipping from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s file on Urbina, December 22, 2002.

26 Urbina “memorably kissed his catcher, Iván Rodríguez, after Game 1 of the World Series” following his save. Sridhar Pappu, “U Want Him, U Got Him: A World Champion Closer Is Stuck on the Market – and in a Pal’s Guest Room,” Sports Illustrated, March 29, 2004.

27 USA Today, clipping from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s file on Urbina, January 26, 2004.

28 “Abductors: $15 Million for Urbina’s Mom,” Detroit Free Press, September 21, 2004.

29 Tom Farrey, “A Matter of Trust,” ESPN.com, September 27, 2004.

30 Gene Guidi, “Tigers Pick Up Option for $4 Million on Urbina,” Detroit Free Press, November 6, 2004.

31 Murray Chass, “Kidnapping Is Frightening Issue for Venezuelan Major Leaguers,” New York Times, February 22, 2005: D3.

32 “Drunk Punch,” The Detroit Tiger Weblog, https://www.detroittigersweblog.com/2005/06/drunk-punchphp/, June 9, 2005 (accessed March 16, 2022).

33 Steven Dudley, “Former Marlin Urbina’s Life Takes Dark Turn,” Miami Herald, March 31, 2007.

34 Larry Stone, “The Ugueth Urbina Name Is Back in Baseball – and the Mariners Have Him,” Seattle Times, February 27, 2012.

35 Mark Penner, “Ugueth Urbina Pays His Debt to Society,” Philadelphia Daily News, December 27, 2012.

36 “Ugueth Urbina Returns to Baseball,” ESPN.com, December 28, 2012.

37 https://www.pelotabinaria.com.ve/beisbol/mostrar.php?ID=urbiugu001 (accessed March 18, 2022).