Sep 11, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) throws a pitch \Monday\ during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
If Jesus Luzardo would have had a chance to do it over again, he probably would have used the few seconds that it takes to walk from the pitcher's mound to the dugout to take it all in.
There was a standing ovation, a roar of approval from the crowd for something incredibly rare. Luzardo had retired 22 consecutive batters. It was an remarkable performance, especially since he allowed four runs and five hits in the game's first six batters, and then went out and and got the next 22.
Jesús Luzardo has now retired 22 straight batters after this strikeout of Francisco Lindor 👀 pic.twitter.com/PW8kq9yZKm
But Luzardo wasn't even aware of his feat in the moment. He was thinking about one thing and one thing only.
He wanted more.
"I was trying to get one more out of Topper, but he told me, 'No way.' He shot it down pretty quick."
Rob Thomson knew it was time to go to closer Jhoan Duran at that point. The Phillies had overcome that early four-run deficit and had taken a 6-4 lead. Their offensive resiliency was the driver behind the comeback, but the only reason they even had the opportunity to do it, was Luzardo.
"He was up in the zone a little bit and behind in the count a little bit," Thomson said of Luzardo's first inning. "And then he settled in and gave us eight strong. It's really unbelievable."
Rob Thomson: “As impressive a win as we’ve had all year.”
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/AHuCLivLSY
It sure was. He became the first Phillies pitcher to retire 22 in a row since Zack Wheeler did it on August 8, 2021, in a game also against the Mets. In that one, Wheeler gave up a leadoff double then retired 22 straight before a walk in the eighth inning.
But Wheeler pitched a 2-hit shutout in that game. He was dominant almost from the jump.
Luzardo had to endure a rough top of the first before he decided to become perfect for seven innings. That alone is remarkable.
It even had John Smoltz wondering aloud on the Fox broadcast during the game if a pitcher had ever allowed four runs in the first inning and still went on to throw a complete game.
(Note: While the research department for this story didn't take the extra time to answer that question, the answer is that it probably did happen before, just maybe not in the modern game where pitch count limits dominate the sport.)
Here's what's even more notable about Luzardo's performance - there have been several examples this season of Luzardo having an inning go sideways on him and it resulting in his start imploding. He has let bad innings eat at him. He has let his emotions get the best of him.
Look at it this way, he's made 30 starts this year for the Phillies. In 22 of them, he's allowed three runs or fewer. He's allowed exactly four runs in four of them. He's allowed more than four runs in the other four.
And yet, with 26 of 30 starts allowing four runs or fewer, he still has an ERA of 4.03.
That's because, prior to Thursday, those uglier starts - including the three previous games in which he allowed exactly four runs - Luzardo struggled to get past bad innings, or leave unfortunate situations behind him. He had games with lots of traffic on the bases, with his pitch count running up and forcing Thomson's hand to get him out of the game before it got out of hand.
That wasn't the case Thursday. Instead, he showed a mental toughness that previously hasn't been present in games when things weren't quite going his way.
"I think he's made some adjustments," Thomson said. "I think he's learned a few things and understands that the next pitch is the most important pitch and what has happened in the past, it doesn't matter. You just got to slow your heartbeat down and just keep attacking. That's what he did."
Jesús Luzardo has now retired 22 straight batters after this strikeout of Francisco Lindor 👀 pic.twitter.com/PW8kq9yZKm
And he did it well. He even got stronger as the game went on. He was throwing 99 mph in the seventh inning. He struck out six of the last seven hitters he would face, including the final five. It was a masterclass in focusing on the moment and not dwelling on the past.
"At the end of the day, all we can control is the pitches we make," he said. "That was the only thing I told myself. ... If you continue to make good pitches and in good parts of the zone it should even out and it'll play in your favor. Thankfully, that's what happened."
It allowed for the rally. It allowed for the Phillies to sweep the Mets. It allowed for the magic number to clinch the NL East for a second straight season to be reduced to five.
There's a lot going right for the Phillies - and Luzardo - all of the sudden. And it couldn't be happening at a better time.
