Jesus Luzardo showed flashes of being the Philadelphia Phillies ace in his first spring training start.
Jesus Luzardo will have to do a lot to improve on his first season with the Philadelphia Phillies; it was that good. That said, he did the first step of just that on Thursday in his first Grapefruit League start of 2026.
The left-handed pitcher threw 38 pitches over three innings against the Boston Red Sox, and it may have been the most efficient stretch from a Phillies pitcher all spring. Luzardo only allowed two hits, both of which were bunt singles, and didn’t give up a single run and issued no walks, while striking out five.
The Red Sox hitters simply had no answers for Luzardo's evenly distributed pitch mix. By the time his start was over, Luzardo had generated seven swings and misses.
Luzardo explained after the start that he worked on adding some velocity to his arsenal over the offseason. He topped out at 98.5 mph, nearly 2 miles per hour above his 2025 average velocity of 96.3.
“I feel good,” said Luzardo. “I worked hard this offseason to really prepare for this year, and my body is in a good spot. So it's glad to see the velocity coming nice and easy without having to overthrow.”
Jun 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) enters the field before the game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesThere’s still a way to go, but this was an appearance was a resounding success for Luzardo. There’s no other way to put it. The Phillies starter showcased his improved velocity, his ability to miss bats, and his command of the strike zone.
Philadelphia will need Luzardo to be at the top of his game if they hope to reach their goals
After the start, Luzardo said he put a lot of work over the offseason to simply be a stable presence in the Phillies rotation. However, after an outing like that, he showed he has the potential to possibly be the team’s ace.
“I always want to be the best. Just to be as good as I can ever start out and give us a chance to win every five days,” explained Luzardo. I put some emphasis on being a stable piece in this rotation until, you know, uh, wheels get back, and, um, just helping out the guys as much as they can, giving us a chance to win.”
Yes, it’s early, but hard not get excited about the pitcher Luzardo can be for the Phillies in 2026 after a full offseason of work, and seeing that start to pay off on the mound in live game action.
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