Jesús Luzardo turns down offer to join Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic
Jesús Luzardo had a chance to pitch for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic semifinals or championship game. He turned it down.
Jesús Luzardo was born in Peru but his family is Venezuelan and he grew up in South Florida. He had been in talks with Venezuela about joining the roster if the team advanced deep into the tournament, and he could have started the championship game on normal rest.
Jesús Luzardo turns down offer to join Venezuela:
In the end, the Phillies’ commitment to his buildup and the timing of Opening Day made the decision for him. He threw a bullpen session at BayCare Ballpark on Sunday morning and will stay in Clearwater.
It is hard to fault the reasoning. The Phillies just handed Jesús Luzardo a five-year, $135 million extension and they have a specific plan for how they want him built up heading into the season.
Parachuting into a championship game weeks before Opening Day without the proper ramp-up would have been a real risk for both sides. He honored the commitment.
Venezuela plays Italy in the semifinal Monday night at loanDepot Park in Miami. If Venezuela advances they would face Team USA in the championship game on Tuesday night.
On the rest of the Phillies’ WBC front, Cristopher Sanchez has already made two starts for the Dominican Republic and will not pitch again in the tournament.
Aaron Nola has made one start for Italy and could pitch in the championship if Italy gets through Venezuela.
Taijuan Walker made one start for Mexico, rejoined the Phillies on Saturday, and pitched Sunday against the Braves.
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What does Jesus and Jesus Luzardo or Lizardo I like to call him, fucking lizard, have in common? They saved people. In the case of Lizardo however, he saves people and teams from by not being part of their lives. Venezuela by a million. Please stop covering him. Talk about the storms we’re about to have or how Robots are now entering the Russia Ukraine war (Ryan should get on that), but anything but news about him. No one cares.