Jesús Luzardo wins over Phillies fans with one quote amid historic start

The left-hander has embraced being in Philadelphia and shown the best version of himself in the process.
ByMatt Davis|
Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo has been winning over fans during his historic run.
Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo has been winning over fans during his historic run. | Mitchell Leff/GettyImages

The Philadelphia Phillies made a few moves over the offseason. Little did they know they would be trading for a top pitcher in the league in Jesús Luzardo. The left-hander has since gone on a historic run to start his Phillies tenure. Fans were familiar with Luzardo's work from his time with the Miami Marlins, but to assume he would be as dominant as he's been, would have been crazy.

Luzardo's latest start on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies had his dominance on full display, pitching six innings, while allowing two hits, three walks, one run and striking out 10 batters in a 7-4 Phillies win, per MLB.com's Paul Casella.

Luzardo had 94 pitches after the fifth inning, but convinced pitching coach Caleb Cotham to let him go back out for the sixth to save the bullpen. He rewarded the Phillies by striking out two of his three final batters. In 10 total starts, Luzardo now has a 5-0 record, a 1.95 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched.

Both Jesús Luzardo and Phillies fans are happy the lefty is in Philadelphia

Coming out of the basement of the National League in Miami, Luzardo envisioned what the change of scenery could do for his arsenal and finding motivation to keep winning in a championship-hungry city like Philadelphia, per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

"I definitely thought it was possible but I know that it might come as a surprise to a lot of people," Luzardo said, per Seidman, after helping the Phillies improve to a National League-best 30-18.

The surprise that Luzardo is referring to has been unprecedented. Since ERA became an official statistic in both leagues in 1913, only two lefties have thrown a sub-2.00 ERA, carried at least a 10 strikeout per nine innings and gone undefeated in their first 10 starts to start a season. The other is the big unit himself, Randy Johnson.

It was tough for Luzardo moving around to different teams as much as he was and with injuries nagging him along the way. His inability to put it all together when it comes to his stuff can be teasing. His start with the Phillies has been the culmination of his talent being on full display with the right team.

"It's been a struggle at times in my career but I think a little change of scenery at times is great," Luzardo said, per Seidman. "Just a breath of fresh air being around a good group of guys here. Nothing against the places I've been, it's just a little different here."

This has become a perfect pairing for both Luzardo and the Phillies. Cotham got a huge talent to work with, and Luzardo has an exciting fan base to play in front of as he continues to build his Cy Young case. It's only May, but Phillies fans are looking forward to wrapping their arms around Luzardo come playoff time in October.

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