CINCINNATI — The first time Don Mattingly managed Jesús Luzardo, the lefty was at his lowest.
In 2021, Luzardo was traded midseason from the A’s to the Marlins, where Mattingly was at the helm. Across the two teams, the 23-year-old Luzardo posted a 6.61 ERA.
“2021 was by far the worst year of my career,” Luzardo said. “And he saw me when I was struggling.”
It was a full-circle moment when the Phillies interim manager called Luzardo into his office this week, along with pitching coaches Caleb Cotham and Mark Lowy, to let him know he had been named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Luzardo was added to the National League roster Tuesday alongside the Pirates’ Braxton Ashcraft and Cardinals’ Riley O’Brien as replacements for the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski, Marlins’ Max Meyer, and Pirates’ Paul Skenes.
Misiorowski, Meyer, and Skenes are all lined up to pitch on Sunday for their respective clubs, making them ineligible to appear in the All-Star Game on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park.
“It’s obviously an honor, first one of my career,” Luzardo said. “It’s been a really good year, as a team too, fighting back from a bad start. So it’s a good note, but something to continue to build on.”
Luzardo lowered his season ERA to 3.75 after holding the Royals to one run over six innings on Saturday. His sweeper, which he developed last season after the Phillies acquired him in a trade with Miami, has become one of the best pitches in baseball. Hitters are batting .141 against it, and the pitch has a 50.4% strikeout rate, which ranks only behind Mason Miller’s slider.
The news of his selection took Luzardo completely by surprise. He had a sense that something was up when Mattingly summoned him, but wasn’t sure what it could be.
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“You grew up watching the All-Star game and the festivities around it,” Luzardo said. “Just being out there, being in a clubhouse with all the great players around the league, and being in front of the home crowd I think is also going to be very cool.”
It’s all the more special that Luzardo’s first appearance will come in his home ballpark. After being traded three times in his career, he found stability in Philadelphia, and signed a five-year extension with the team during spring training.
“I love everything about Philly, the team, the organization, the city,” he said. “It’s been a great time for me and my family. We’ve enjoyed it a lot. So just a good point on a good first year after signing that, and will look to build on a lot more.”
Growing up in South Florida, Luzardo has fond memories playing baseball in the street with his friends, dreaming of moments like this.
“It was always big moments, whether it’s an All-Star game or Game 7 of the World Series,” Luzardo said. “We would always make up these situations in our head at a young age. I did that from when I was like five to even to probably almost through middle school. We were out on the street all the time, making up scenarios.”
Luzardo joins Cristopher Sánchez, Brandon Marsh, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Jhoan Duran as the Phillies’ sixth All-Star this year.
Despite a 2.36 ERA entering Tuesday’s start against the Reds, Zack Wheeler remains off the National League roster after he was not selected by the player ballot. Wheeler is lined up to start for the Phillies on Sunday, and would be ineligible to appear in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Baseball’s biggest stars are descending on Philadelphia for the 96th All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14. Follow all of The Inquirer’s coverage here.
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