Jesus Luzardo is one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball, and he’s ready for the World Baseball Classic.
The Philadelphia Phillies‘ left-hander won’t be pitching for Team USA, but he could’ve.
That’s what Luzardo shared with reporters on Friday, via Daniel Alvarez-Montes.
Alvarez-Montes wrote that Luzardo received an invitation from the U.S. but stuck with his commitment to Venezuela.
“Solo lanzaria con Venezuela,” is what Luzardo said, meaning, “I would only pitch for Venezuela.”
Luzardo was actually born in Lima, Peru. He attended high school in Florida at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS.
The 28-year old is coming off a great year in which he went 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA.
Luzardo began his MLB career with parts of three seasons with the Oakland Athletics, then it was parts of four seasons with the Miami Marlins.
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The 2025 campaign was his first with the Phillies, and he delivered what Philadelphia was hoping for.
Now, Venezuela will be hoping Luzardo can do the same for them in the WBC.
The tournament is at a weird spot on the calendar for pitchers, with March usually being a time they’re still ramping up but now it bringing with it high-intensity innings. Luzardo appears confident and ready to represent his heritage.
