Jesús Luzardo returned to Miami for the first time since being traded to Philadelphia, marking a significant moment in his baseball career. Luzardo, who previously played for the Marlins from 2021 to 2024, was traded to the Phillies in December after recovering from an injury that ended his season early.
In Tuesday’s game at loanDepot park, Luzardo faced his former team and nearly achieved his ninth quality start of the season. Despite a strong performance with four strikeouts over five innings, he allowed four earned runs on six hits. The Phillies were leading 3-2 when he left the game but eventually lost 8-3.
Luzardo expressed frustration with his slider during the postgame interview: “Just got to find the zone more,” he said. “[I felt like] the slider [wasn’t strong]. It’s really my go-to, kind of my bread-and-butter. Just losing feel of it, which is frustrating. … Got to find a way to command that better.”
This was Luzardo’s second encounter with Miami since joining Philadelphia; he had previously pitched seven innings against them in April with notable success.
Despite Tuesday’s loss, returning home held personal significance for Luzardo: “It’s always nice getting home, sleeping in my own bed, seeing a lot of family, friends,” he remarked. He also spent time reconnecting with former teammates and friends from the Marlins.
Reflecting on familiarity with his old team affecting performance, Luzardo commented: “Yeah and no… But I feel like you go out there and make the right pitches and execute, you’ll be all right.”
Throughout this season with Philadelphia, Luzardo has been impressive on the mound. He recorded four double-digit strikeout games within his first 14 starts—a feat not seen since Steve Carlton in 1972 for a Phillie pitcher—and maintained high rankings among National League pitchers according to FanGraphs’ WAR calculation.
Luzardo attributes part of his success this year to catcher JT Realmuto: “He does a good job studying hitters,” Luzardo said about Realmuto’s experience guiding him through games confidently.
