Feeling Right at Home
In his second season with the Philadelphia Phillies, pitcher Jesús Luzardo is enjoying both success and his surroundings.
Back in spring training, while several of his Philadelphia Phillie teammates were off representing their respective countries in the World Baseball Classic, Jesús Luzardo was back in Clearwater keeping a watchful eye on the tournament.
It’s not that Luzardo wasn’t worthy of being on a roster. In fact, he received invitations to play from both Team USA and Team Venezuela, the latter of which was his preference given his family’s strong ties to the South American country. But ultimately, he declined to participate so he could focus his energy on building upon the success he enjoyed last year. Nevertheless, he was thrilled to watch his teammates and ultimately see his friends in the Venezuelan dugout go on to capture the title, even if it left him a bit bummed he wasn’t there to experience it all.
“It was incredible to watch. We had a lot of guys [from the Phillies] perform really well and it was really cool to see them in that environment. Those games mean so much to a lot of guys and their countries,” says Luzardo. “I had a little bit of FOMO not being there with Venezuela, but I couldn’t be happier for those guys. I am really tight with a lot of guys on that team and I was pulling for them the whole way.”
While it couldn’t have been an easy decision for him to make, Luzardo felt confident it was the right choice after an eventful first season in red pinstripes that saw him set career marks in wins, strikeouts and total innings pitched. All of that hard work earned Luzardo a hefty contract extension in the offseason and the South Florida native couldn’t be happier to know that he will be making his home in the Philadelphia area for the foreseeable future.
“It’s honestly very nice to have some more security and know where my family will be for the next five, maybe six years. I am super excited,” he says. “Being able to spend last year with this team and the organization as a whole was great. I’ve really embraced the culture they’ve created and I’ve loved every second of it.”
We had the chance to speak to Luzardo further about this season, life away from the field and why his many superstitions have served him well throughout his career.
Last year, you quickly made an impact with the club. What did you enjoy most about your first season as a Phillie?
I enjoyed the atmosphere at the stadium every day. The fans are really passionate, which is something I really enjoy and not something I had really experienced at my previous two organizations.
And just the city itself, I love Philadelphia. I love living here and being around the area—the people, the food, the weather—really just everything about it. It’s very different from where I grew up in South Florida.
It felt right to be here.
Absolutely, it felt like it was the right fit and the place that I wanted to be. And my family really enjoys it here as well. I just got married last November and so my parents and my wife’s family come out a lot, and they all really enjoy their time in Philadelphia.
How has marriage been treating you?
It’s been a short time, but it’s been great. It feels the same, but it’s been great.
Pitching is an obvious strength of the team, so when you look at the arms you guys have, does that motivate you to want be at your best? Do you and the other starters have a friendly competition in any way?
Yeah, absolutely. I think internally we all want to be the best. Not only on the team, but in the MLB. So I think that’s what drives us. But at the same time, we all root for each other and we know that we all have to be pulling in the same direction if we want to eventually get to a World Series and win one.
A friendly competition is the perfect way to put it in that we really pull for each other, bounce ideas off each other and learn from one another. When any one of us is out there, we want to be the best.
The rest of the roster also has some pretty talented players and despite falling short in the playoffs in recent years, you guys are two-time defending National League East Champs. How optimistic are you with regard to how good this team can be?
The sky’s the limit for our team. Back-to-back NL East champs is not something that is done easily, especially when you look at the caliber of teams in the division. The goal is to continue that trend and there’s no reason why we can’t do that.
This season you have your own cheesesteak available at the ballpark on the days you pitch. How did that come about?
The team came to me and asked if it was something that I wanted to be part of to help raise money for my foundation and other foundations in the city of Philadelphia as well as around Pennsylvania. I was fully on board with it.
Speaking of food, on the rare off day do you get out and about much? Any favorite places you like to hang?
I don’t have a specific spot in general. We would try different food places, whether it was a more known spot or more of a low-key spot. I was trying to bounce around and get the full experience last year as much as I could. I’m looking forward to doing that as well every year.
The team’s core has been together for a while now, but even as new guys come in each year it seems like it remains a very close-knit group. How would you describe the chemistry in the clubhouse?
Not every team has that, and that’s what makes the best teams really good. There’s the talent level, but also the camaraderie and that’s what makes the “it” factor. Not everyone has that close-knit tightness that we are lucky to have.
I was able to be a part of it last year and that was also why I fell in love with the organization as a whole. There are many reasons, but that is one of the key parts. It’s pretty rare to find that.
You have spoken before about what great influences you parents were for you growing up. What was your childhood like?
I moved from Peru to South Florida when I was 2. My family is all Venezuelan, I was the only one not born there. My dad worked a lot when I was growing up. My mom stopped working to raise us, and then once I got to high school, she picked it back up.
Though my dad traveled a good bit, he was always involved with school and sports. He was really tough on me and my sister with regard to school and making sure that we got good grades. And my mom was always supportive as well, taking me to baseball, soccer and basketball practices.
I played a lot of sports growing up and my sister did synchronized swimming up until she graduated high school. So my parents were great with bouncing around and taking us everywhere and never complaining. They definitely set a good example for my sister and me.
Was baseball always your main sport?
It was between baseball and soccer, but it got to a point right around middle school where baseball was my No. 1. That was the sport that I really fell in love with and got attached to. It was also the sport that I started to excel in and that’s when I gave up everything else and really focused on baseball.
Who were some of the players that you enjoyed watching as a kid?
[As a Marlins fan], Juan Pierre was my favorite player growing up. But I also watched a lot of Venezuelan players like Miguel Cabrera, Johan Santana and Felix Fernandez. Those were the guys I really looked up to when I was young and made sure I sat down and watched.
You are very superstitious with the glasses and your affinity for certain numbers—how did all of that start?
When I was young, I always wore the glasses. Whenever I put the glasses on, it just made me feel like I was playing baseball. It’s sort of a separate identity from myself. I’m pretty reserved, shy and quiet—even growing up. But when I put the glasses on it was like I converted to another person. I feel like that gave me that separation from Jesús off the field and Jesús on the field.
With the numbers, my favorite number growing up was nine. But, over time I fell in love with fours and eights for some reason. I felt like they were good luck. So my jersey number 44 obviously adds up to eight, but it was also the number given to me at my first big league camp. It was meant to be, I never switched it after that. But yeah, fours and eights are my thing.
I know giving back is something that is near and dear to you as well. Can you tell us about your foundation and the ways it’s helping make an impact?
My foundation is the Jesús Luzardo Family Foundation. My parents help me run it and they do a great job managing that while I am playing baseball. My wife also helps out a lot.
We look forward to giving back, especially in underserved communities in both Philadelphia and in South Florida because both communities are close to me.
We try to do as much as we can and I feel like I really picked that up from my parents at a young age. They always gave back without ever needing to make a big deal out of it; it was just a part of who they were and that always stuck with me.
The hands-on part is the biggest reward for me. I’m not a real big fan of the cameras being around when all that stuff is going on. I’d rather do it for the personal reasons, which is to give back and that’s all.
Having been in the league for a little while now and having achieved the success that you have, do you feel like your best baseball is still in front of you? Does that excite you?
Yes, I couldn’t agree more to that. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career so far. Thankfully, I’ve had some good years under my belt, but I still hold myself to an extremely high standard. And I feel there’s a whole other level that I haven’t really gotten to yet and I’m looking forward to getting there. I’m thankful that the Phillies helped me take a step in the right direction last year and I’m confident that they will continue as an organization to help me keep progressing forward.
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Published and copyrighted in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 23, Issue 3 (June 2026)
Published and copyrighted in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 23, Issue 3 (June 2026)
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