During a spring training game on Wednesday, Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson participated in an in-game interview, but he had little opportunity to speak. This was due to his pitcher, Jesús Luzardo, surrendering three consecutive home runs on three straight pitches. The Phillies were playing against the Detroit Tigers in Florida when Thomson donned the headset in the bottom of the second inning of a scoreless game.
As the interview progressed, Jahmai Jones hit a home run off Luzardo, prompting a typical call from the ESPN broadcast team. Thomson awkwardly chimed in, noting, “Looked like a changeup.” The next batter, Andy Ibáñez, also launched a home run to nearly the same spot. Thinking they had a moment to breathe, Karl Ravech thanked Thomson for “sticking with” the broadcast crew through the back-to-back home runs. However, Gleyber Torres then stepped up to the plate and hit another home run over the left field wall, leaving Thomson literally speechless.
Detroit scored six runs in the second inning and matched that total in the third, ultimately winning the game 17-7. This outing was not what Luzardo had hoped for, especially after finishing the 2024 season with a 5.00 ERA in just 12 starts due to injuries. He had previously shown promise with the Miami Marlins, posting a 3.48 ERA in 2022 and 2023, after being a prospect with the Oakland Athletics. Following his challenging 2024 season, the Marlins traded him to their NL East rivals in December.
Luzardo is expected to be the No. 5 starter in a strong rotation led by co-aces Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, the latter of whom finished second in the NL Cy Young Award voting last season with a career-best 2.57 ERA. Thomson took over as the Phillies’ manager in 2022, a change that marked a pivotal moment in their season, leading them to win the pennant.