The Philadelphia Phillies made a big acquisition this offseason to bring in a new star pitcher in Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins.
Getting used to a new team is always an adjustment for players, but joining the Phillies is an especially interesting case given the tough reputation of the fanbase.
Luzardo seems to be prepared and even ready to embrace Philadelphia fans, as he revealed some promising thoughts on a recent appearance on SportsRadio 94WIP.
He had this to say when asked about the potential of getting booed if things go poorly:
“I respect it, you know. I mean I was a fan growing up. I still am a fan of the game and of multiple sports and I feel the same way,” said the hurler. “If I’m not doing well, I deserve to get booed. So, I don’t take it to heart. If anything, it motivates me to be better.”
It will be an interesting transition for Luzardo given that he is coming from the Marlins, which has a notably checked out fanbase. In Miami, they averaged 13,425 attendees per game. As for the Phillies, that number was 41,527.
Obviously, that will mostly work well into the pitcher’s favor. Philadelphia fans will cheer the team on when things are going well, but will also be quick to let him know if things are not going so well.
He has already felt what it was like to have Phillies fans upset at him, as he has two career starts in Citizens Bank Park. He handled it well enough with a 3.46 ERA and 1.154 WHIP over those two starts.
“You just feel like the energy of the city is alive,” said the lefty about playing in Citizens Bank. “When I first stepped out to start warming up, you could hear all the boos coming from all over the place and I loved it…. I had a great time, but obviously now I’m more excited to be on the home side for it.”
If Luzardo is playing up to his skill level, though, he won’t have to worry too hard about fans being mad at him.
During his last healthy season, he posted a 3.58 ERA with a 1.215 WHIP while striking out 208 batters in 178.2 innings. With him closing out the rotation, that would be plenty good enough to be on the city’s good side.
He did struggle on the mound a year ago, a 5.00 ERA and much worse strikeout numbers, but was dealing with both back and elbow issues.
Now the 27-year-old is back to healthy, but has had a rocky start to spring training.
His first appearance in a Philadelphia uniform was a gem. He pitched two innings of scoreless ball with two strikeouts against the Boston Red Sox star prospects.
The next outing, against the Detroit Tigers, was much less successful.
It started out fine with Luzardo getting out of a jam with three straight outs after giving up a double to the first batter, leaving the first inning without giving up a run.
The Tigers loaded the bases in the second inning with two outs. Luzardo proceeded to give up three home runs, including a grand slam, on three straight pitches.
That is the type of outing that might get some boos, but it is hard to be too critical of a rough spring training outing.
Phillies fans will and should still be very excited about what the southpaw will bring to the backend of their starting rotation.
