Phillies turn to Jesus Luzardo to stop undefeated Dodgers in October-like April game
Jesús Luzardo knows what pitching at Citizens Bank Park in a playoff atmosphere is like. He's done it before, wearing the colors of a division rival. He lasted
four innings
and lost in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series.
Luzardo will get a taste of it for the first time in a Phillies uniform tonight as he makes his home debut in a rare October-like April game in Philadelphia. The Phils welcome the
undefeated Dodgers
to the Bank for an early-season three-game series featuring two NL heavyweights.
"The fans get loud. The atmosphere gets really good, really intense, and I think that's something that drags a lot of players and brings the best out of people," Luzardo told CBS Philadelphia's Pat Gallen on an episode of "
Gallen of Questions
." "If you're on the opposing side, it's definitely tough. On the home side, I think it adds that extra level of motivation for you."
"You can just feel the atmosphere. You can feel the city. How excited the fans are. Just the city in general," Luzardo added. "Everyone knows the team, is excited about the team. Looking forward to coming to games. It's something that I've never been a part of."
Two years ago, Luzardo was the Marlins' Game 1 starter after a breakout season. He had a 3.58 ERA and 28.1 K% in a career-high 178 2/3 innings in 2023.
Injuries struck in 2024, limiting the 27-year-old southpaw to 66 2/3 innings and just 12 starts while seeing his ERA balloon to 5.00. His velocity on his fastball was affected, seeing his four-seamer's average speed drop from 96.7 mph in 2023 to 95.2 mph in 2024.
"It was tough, just going through a whole year not feeling like myself," Luzardo said. "I felt like letting your teammates down, not being able to go out there and throw every five days. … Now I'm happy to be back 100% feeling good, back to feeling myself."
The injury history didn't scare off the Phillies, who acquired the lefty from Miami in a
December trade
.
Luzardo, who's been off social media for over a year, said he was caught off guard by the trade despite knowing his name was being floated around in rumors.
"I was away from all the noise, so when I got that call, it kind of shocked me," Luzardo said. "At the same time, I was surprised and excited, looking forward to coming to a team like this with this much talent. Harper called me within maybe 30 seconds of the trade.
"Wheeler reached out. A bunch of guys reached out. Schwarber reached out," he added. "It was cool to see the older and veteran guys reaching out and making sure I felt welcomed."
Luzardo struck out 11 batters and allowed two runs over five innings in his Phillies debut last week, an
11-6 win over the Nationals
. His fastball had his pop back, averaging 96.9 mph and maxing out at 98.9 mph.
In his first start with the Phillies, Luzardo showed off a new sweeper he worked on over the winter and in spring training. He threw the sweeper 22 times, with a 70% whiff percentage, and struck out five batters with it.
"It took all spring for me. First, having the body get accumulated to a new pitch," Luzardo said. "It's different on the body in general in the way you throw it. Once your body gets used to it. Building it into the bullpen sessions and building it into games and trying it in different scenarios, different counts, different hitters. And really just fine-tuning it to see where it works and where it doesn't. I think throughout spring, we did a good job with that. We had good and bad results with it, but that's what spring is for."
Luzardo said his goal for the 2024 season is to make 33 starts for the Phils, but most importantly, it's staying on the field.
"For me, I think the health is the biggest thing," Luzardo said. "I just want to be healthy all year."
Hours before making his home debut in Philadelphia, Luzardo announced that for every batter he strikes out this season, the Jesús Luzardo Family Foundation will donate $100 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia.
If you're looking to watch tonight's Phillies vs. Dodgers game in Philadelphia on cable TV, you're out of luck. Tonight's game is the
first of two Apple TV+ games
for the Phillies in the first half of the 2025 season.
Fans looking to watch tonight's game featuring the 5-1 Phillies against the 8-0 Dodgers, they'll need an Apple TV+ subscription.
If you don't have an Apple TV+ account, fans can listen to the game on SportsRadio 94WIP.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET.
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