Buddy system: De Leon, Urias get big starts

NEW YORK — One, Jose De Leon, is a right-hander from Puerto Rico. The other, Julio Urias, is a left-hander from Mexico.

They built a strong bond after meeting as Minor Leaguers. Three times last August, they pitched on back-to-back days for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.

This week, in the middle of a pennant race, they’re pitching back to back again, this time for the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. If Urias can do as well Tuesday night as De Leon did Monday during an 8-2 win, the Dodgers will be another step closer to winning the National League West.

The 20-year-old Urias is the younger of the two, but he owns more big league experience than his 24-year-old friend. Monday’s start was just the second of De Leon’s career, which had something to do with the nerves he felt before the game but not much impact on the way he pitched.

De Leon went five innings and allowed two runs. He benefited from a Dodgers offense that knocked Yankees starter Bryan Mitchell out of the game early, and from a Yankees defense that committed two errors leading to four unearned runs.

He was solid in his first road start, falling behind in a few counts and walking two, but De Leon never gave in to what could have been a challenging environment.

“His poise is off the charts,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He was unfazed.”

De Leon looked forward to this start. He grew up as a Red Sox fan after a youth coach gave him a No. 5 jersey and started calling him Nomar, after former Boston shortstop …

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