Jesús Luzardo has earned the respect of Philly and then some with his ridiculous start to 2025. After being acquired in the offseason from the Miami Marlins, Luzardo has not only reached the bar he previously set with the Fish – he’s blown right past it. Luzardo threw six clean innings on Saturday, striking out five Chicago Cubs batters while allowing three hits, three walks, and two unearned runs. His ERA has dropped all the way to 1.73 – a Bottom 10 mark among all starting pitchers so far. But you’d never know what a fierce competitor he is by talking to him, according to Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet until he gets on that hill, and then he turns into a different guy,” Thomson told NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Corey Seidman. “He’s been outstanding.” Like most of Philadelphia’s offseason additions, Luzardo was a bounceback candidate entering the year. He pitched to an ERA of 5.00 in 66.2 innings last season while largely being limited by injuries. It’s safe to say he came to his new club determined. Luzardo’s velocity, whiffs and chase rates are all back up to 2023 levels, per Baseball Savant data. His overall pitch command is even better – he’s held opponents to a pitifully low .568 OPS through 36.1 innings, on pace for the best mark in his career. And he’s doing it all right from the start, all while the Phillies are missing another lefty (Ranger Suárez) in their rotation. As with any pitcher who throws as hard as he does, staying healthy and not taxing his arm too much throughout the long season will be challenging. But if Luzardo does complete the full year at a pace even close to this one, he could be the latest Philadelphia arm to earn a long-term extension.