Jesus Luzardo named NL Pitcher of the Month after posting August’s best ERA
Sep 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) leaves the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seventh inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
At the end of Spring Training, the Phillies rewarded Jesus Luzardo with a five-year, $135 million contract extension. It was an up-and-down first season in Philadelphia for Luzardo, whose final numbers did not replicate his overall performance.
Under his new contract that kept him from hitting the open market this winter, Luzardo has been one of baseball’s best southpaws. August, though, he excelled, earning himself the National League Pitcher of the Month. Luzardo is the second Phillie to earn the honor this season — Cristopher Sanchez in May.
In five outings, Luzardo posted a 3-0 record, tossing 34 1/3 innings with 46 strikeouts to just nine walks, sporting a league-best 1.31 ERA. The next-closest was 14 points higher. His 1.98 FIP was also the lowest in the majors. He was the only player to record a sub-2.00 FIP. Opponents had a .172/.229/.295 slash line against him.
He did not stop in September. In Arizona on Tuesday, he went 6.2 innings, allowing one earned run on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts.
“I think in a lot of places, you’d say he’s the ace, right?” interim manager Don Mattingly said after Luzardo’s 6.2-inning victory on Tuesday over the Diamondbacks.
The 28-year-old also averaged seven innings per start. For a Phillies bullpen that has seen some oscillation this year, his ability to go deep into games consistently has been tremendous. Thanks to that, the Phillies have won six straight Luzardo starts.
“[I’m] just giving us a chance to win,” Luzardo said after posting his 200th strikeout in Seattle on Aug. 26. “Early in the year, I felt like I didn’t do my job of that. As of late, just being able to keep us in the fight, whether it’s giving up runs early and holding on, or holding on to the lead, just keeping us in the fight.”
The Venezuelan in 2026 has a 3.02 ERA in 28 starts with a 1.12 WHIP and a 2.86 FIP. He ranks fifth in strikeouts (209), innings pitched (169.2), fourth in xERA (2.94), K/9 (11.09), and sixth in FIP (2.86).
After posting a 5.77 ERA in his first eight appearances, Luzardo has been one of baseball’s most consistent starters and is forming into a No. 1 option for the Phillies come the postseason.
“I felt like I was pitching pretty well all year,” Luzardo said. “At first, it felt like, I hate to use luck, but I felt like I was getting a little unlucky at times. Maybe, you know, giving up some damage after a soft-hit ball or a walk, it just kind of compounded at the wrong time. Thankfully, I think we’ve been able to kind of handle that a little bit more.”
Luzardo is a part of only the third left-handed pitching duo in MLB history to record back-to-back seasons of 200+ strikeouts. His counterpart, Sanchez, has 202 on the season. Luzardo is also on pace to become the first pitcher in MLB history to go undefeated on the road with a sub-2.00 ERA and 100+ strikeouts. He is projected for two more road starts.
Luzardo, whose next start comes on Labor Day against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park, was not the only Phillies pitcher to dominate in August. In the 21-7 month, the Phils’ starters sported the league’s fifth-best ERA at 2.99. Their strikeouts-per-nine was the best in the league at 10.65, and their 3.15 K/BB ratio was third.
Benjamin Goldstein
Benjamin Goldstein is a Sports Media major at Temple University and an aspiring sportscaster and journalist. Since 2017, he has covered Philadelphia sports as the founder, editor, writer, and podcast host of Philly Sports Reports. In addition, Benjamin is a freelance sports writer for The Temple News, interned with the WBCB Sports Network on 1490 AM, and served as the lead broadcaster for Pennsbury Athletics for four years. Through his coverage and media work, he has had the opportunity to meet Phillies owner John Middleton in his suite and was recognized as KYW Newsradio’s Philadelphia Sports Fan of the Week.
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