Jesús Luzardo chose the Phillies over Team Venezuela — and opened up about a promise he made to his father at 18 that he still plans to keep.
On Tuesday, the Phillies officially announced Jesús Luzardo’s 5-year, $135M contract extension. The lefty and Dave Dombrowski both explain why they were happy to get this deal done before Opening Day.The left-hander has decided to remain in camp with the Phillies, the team with which he signed a five-year, $135-million contract extension last week.
“They just made a big commitment to me and my family and I’m committed to them and getting ready for the season,” Luzardo said after throwing a bullpen session Sunday. “Especially getting so close to opening day, it would have been a whirlwind.” Luzardo, 28, had been in contact with Team Venezuela for weeks and was strongly considering taking the ball for Tuesday night’s championship game, if Venezuela got there. Team Venezuela will play Team Italy in the semifinals Monday night in Miami. “I’m rooting for those guys," Luzardo said. “It breaks my heart not being able to be there with them, but it got kind of complicated with my situation here, having just signed an extension, trying to build up how they want me to build up here. It’s just unfortunate I’m not going to be able to make it.“I could have pitched Tuesday; I lined up for the same day. But at the same time, want to make sure I get the innings and the ups and the pitches, which who knows if that would have or would not have happened.”Luzardo’s parents, Monica and Jesus Sr., are natives of Venezuela. Jesus Jr., was born in Peru when his dad was working for Motorola in that country. Eventually, the family moved to South Florida. Jesus Jr., had committed to attend the University of Miami before being drafted by Washington in 2016 and signing a professional contract. At the time, he promised his dad that he’d one day get his college degree. Even after signing his huge contract, he intends to keep that promise. “Maybe not this year,” he said with a laugh. “But that’s a promise I made to him, and I plan on keeping it. “I took some online classes after I first signed, but it was tough finding time when you’re riding buses for 12 hours in the minors. Whenever I do get a little more time on my hands, I plan on getting a degree, maybe in finance or business. I tried finance a little bit, but macroeconomics kicked my butt. “I want to be as educated as possible. Just because we’re baseball players doesn’t mean we can’t get the degree. And I made that promise to my dad. I made that promise to him at 18, and I plan on keeping it.” Luzardo’s dad works in the software industry. He also handles business matters for his son and works with his wife on their son’s charitable foundation. “I always tell him it’s time to retire, but he’s a workaholic,” Jesus Jr., said of his dad. “He works really hard. He sets a great example for me.”
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