Former Oakland A’s pitcher Jesus Luzardo pitches to the Baltimore Orioles at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat May 1, 2021. Luzardo is the only MLB player born in Peru. (AP News file photo)

From My Notebook: Jesús Luzardo only Major League Player born in Perú

By Amaury Pi-González

Jesus Luzardo was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the third round of the 2016 MLB draft. While the Nationals were the first team to draft and sign him, he did not make his Major League debut with them. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 2017, before making his MLB debut with the A’s on September 11, 2019.

He only pitched with the A’s until 2021, after being traded to the Miami Marlins. Since 2025, he has been pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies. His best season to date was 2025, when he finished with a 15-7 record and a 3.92 ERA; his 15 wins were the most among Phillies pitchers in 2025.

During the Oakland A’s fanfest in 2021, Jesús told me that although he was born in Lima, Perú, he considers himself a Venezuelan. His parents were temporarily living in Perú when he was born, but later they all moved to Venezuela, which is why, as he told me, “I consider myself Venezuelan”.

While signing autographs for fans at the A’s Fanfest in 2021 at Jack London Square in Oakland, he reminisces about his years at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where he played baseball, and said he was very sad for the events that made that High School infamous, the events of a 14th of Febraury 2018, when a shooter killed 17 (students and staff).

Nevertheless, his years at that school, from which he graduated, were happy and memorable for him, who, as he told me, were the basis for my start in baseball. The 28-year-old southpaw is 1-3 with a 6.91 earned run average in 5 starts this season, not a very good start, as huis teams is also struggling coming to the end of April.

The Phillies are in fourth place in the NL West with a 9-19 record. Luzard is a good pitcher with good stuff, including a slider, fastball/4-seam, sinker, and change, and everybody expects him to do well again, as he did in 2025, becoming one of the best left-handers in the National League and leading the Phillies in games won.

Quote: “Left-handers have more enthusiasm for life. They sleep on the wrong side of the bed, and their head gets more stagnant on that side.” — Casey Stengel

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

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