Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo recorded the first complete-game shutout of his career to defeat the Atlanta Braves 1-0. It took 109 pitches, but the All-Star got the job done when his team needed him most.
“For me, personally, it was pretty cool first time doing it,” Luzardo told 94 WIP’s Dave Uram. “We all knew what we had to do today; we had to win.”
Luzardo pitched a very efficient game on the mound. He never needed more than 17 pitches to get through a single inning. In seven of the nine innings, he got the job done in 13 or fewer pitches.
“I think in the sixth or seventh, I had 72 pitches; I knew we had a chance. Thankful for (interim manager Don Mattingly) for giving me the chance to go back out for the ninth, even though it was just one run.
“I try to be as efficient as possible. Luckily we took advantage of an offense that’s very aggressive, they’re very good. That’s what makes them good is how aggressive they are, but today it went our way.”
Per NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark, Luzardo will give the ball, his jersey, and the game’s scoreboard to his parents. Outfielder Brandon Marsh saved the baseball after catching the final out.
Jesus says he will give the ball to his parents and maybe his jersey and the scorecard from the game.
Jesus Luzardo on Pitching the 9th Inning
The Phillies got their lead, courtesy of Kyle Schwarber’s 43rd home run of the season. Luzardo said the first thought that went through his head was to “go get a shutdown inning.”
This game marked the first time in his career that he even came out of the ninth inning. Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly had no thoughts on sending anyone else out there. The bullpen was gassed a bit in the series, and Luzardo was mowing down the Braves.
“Honestly, I felt like I had more in the tank,” said Luzardo. “I know Donnie probably wouldn’t have let me go too much more. I had games earlier in the year where I had to dig a little more, like more worn out.”
He pitched around a one-out walk to Ronald Acuna Jr., freezing Drake Baldwin on a sinker for a strikeout, then getting Ozzie Albies to fly out to left to complete the shutout bid.
“I felt really good going back out for the ninth. It could have been adrenaline, emotions, whatever it might have been. I did feel stronger.”
Jesus Luzardo Sneaking Up on NL Cy Young Race
With a strong finish to the season, Jesus Luzardo is sneaking up in the National League’s Cy Young race. Jacob Misiorowski, Chris Sale, and Cristopher Sanchez are all viewed as consensus finalists. However, Luzardo could crash the party and knock one of the three starters out.
The Phillies left-hander was named the National League’s Pitcher of the Month for August. He picked up right where he left off in September in his shutout of the Braves. Since June 10, his 1.70 ERA leads all MLB starters, per Clark.
“Zeus has been crazy for a while now”
-Don Mattingly
On the season, Luzardo has a 2.87 ERA and 221 strikeouts over 178.2 innings. That should easily earn him a Top 5 spot when the votes are counted.
From the Phillies’ perspective, they’re glad that they signed him to a five-year, $135 million extension before his best season on the mound.
Phillies’ Jesus Luzardo Makes Statement After Shutting Out Braves