Jesus Luzardo’s historically bad outing torches his season — Worst by a Phillies pitcher since 1938

Well, that was a meltdown for the ages. Jesus Luzardo, who had been a legit early Cy Young candidate this season, just put up one of the worst pitching lines in modern Phillies history during Saturday’s 17-7 blowout loss to the Brewers.

Here’s the carnage: 3 1/3 IP, 12 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

It’s not just bad — it’s historic. Luzardo became just the 20th pitcher in MLB history to pitch four innings or fewer while allowing 12 earned runs.

And for the Phillies? No one had done that in a Philly uniform since Hal Kelleher… in 1938. Yeah, 87 years ago. That’s how long it’s been since a Phillies pitcher got shelled this badly in this short of an outing.

Jesus Luzardo Final Line: Historically Bad

Jesus Luzardo's final line is historically bad:

3 1/3 IP, 12H, 12R, 12ER, 3BB, 4K

Only the 20th pitcher in baseball history to pitch 4 innings or fewer and allow 12 earned runs.

The last Phillie to do it?

Hal Kelleher. 1938.
— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) May 31, 2025

Rhys Hoskins haunts Phillies with two homers as Brewers pummel Philly 17-7

It’s a stunning turn for Jesus Luzardo, who entered the day with a 2.15 ERA and one of the best pitching lines in the National League. In the blink of an eye, that ERA jumped to 3.58 after this disaster. The Brewers ambushed him from pitch one, with former Phillie Rhys Hoskins drilling a three-run homer in the first inning to set the tone.

It just unraveled from there. Milwaukee piled on hit after hit, and by the time Rob Thomson mercifully pulled Luzardo in the fourth, the game was already long over.

This was supposed to be a bounce-back game for the Phillies, who came in having lost two straight and needed Luzardo to stop the bleeding. Instead, they gave up 17 runs for the second time in three days.

Now, to be fair — every pitcher has a clunker once in a while. This was Luzardo’s first truly bad start of the season. He’d been dominant in his first 11 starts, never allowing more than three earned runs in a game. So in that sense, it’s not time to panic just yet.

But this wasn’t just a “bad day.” It was one of the worst starts in franchise history. You don’t see a line like 12 earned runs in 3.1 innings show up on the scorecard very often.

The Phillies still own the best record in the National League, but cracks are starting to show. The rotation has taken a hit with Ranger Suárez and Aaron Nola dealing with minor injuries, the bullpen has been overworked, and now Jesus Luzardo’s ERA has taken a massive hit.

I still have no idea why Ricky Bottalico was so heated about why ‘White Flag’ Weston Wilson pitching in Saturday’s blowout at The Bank

The good news? He’ll get a chance to bounce back quickly. If Luzardo can flush this start and return to form, it’ll just go down as a weird blip in an otherwise great season. But if this outing lingers? The Phillies suddenly have a much bigger problem on their hands.

For now, all you can do is turn the page — and hope we don’t have to start dusting off more names from the 1938 Phillies media guide anytime soon.