The Phillies and Reds were locked in a tight pitchers duel Thursday afternoon when something unusual happened between innings. Jesus Luzardo didn’t just walk off the mound after the bottom of the second. He made a hard left toward the Cincinnati dugout instead of his own.
The 28-year-old lefty had words for someone. Cameras caught him shouting and gesturing as he approached the Reds bench. Nobody seems to know exactly what set him off, but Luzardo was clearly fired up. It was enough that the broadcast showed it and fans on social media started asking what happened.
Luzardo is not a guy who keeps his emotions bottled up. He’s known for letting out a roar after a big strikeout or staring down a batter he just froze. So this wasn’t completely out of character. But walking toward the other team’s dugout mid-game is a step beyond the usual mound theatrics.
The good news for Philly is that nothing escalated. No benches cleared, no ejections. Just a lot of shouting and then everyone went back to work.
It was a pitching duel until the eighth
While Luzardo was busy having words, he was also dealing. Through seven innings he racked up over 10 strikeouts while giving up just two hits and two walks. That’s about as dominant as it gets, especially against a Reds lineup that has been competitive this year.
But Reds starter Brady Singer wasn’t backing down either. He matched Luzardo zero for zero until the top of the eighth, when Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford broke the deadlock with an RBI single. That was all the scoring either team could manage through eight innings.
Luzardo entered Thursday with a 3.75 ERA and 1.268 WHIP, along with 125 strikeouts over 103.1 innings. He’s been a stabilizing force for a Phillies team that went through a managerial change earlier this season after firing Rob Thomson. Don Mattingly took over and the club has responded. Philly sits just 3.5 games back of first place in the NL East.
As for Luzardo’s brief detour toward the Reds dugout, the team has not commented on what sparked it. Given his track record of wearing his heart on his sleeve, it probably won’t be the last time he gets animated this season.
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