A lot has changed since Jesús Luzardo was on the A’s — for the pitcher and his former team

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jesús Luzardo had no idea that he was pitching for his final time at the Oakland Coliseum.

When the Miami Marlins visited the Oakland A’s on Aug. 24, 2022, it was already an emotionally-charged game for him, as it was the first time he was facing the team that traded him away the previous year.

Still, he could hardly have known how significant that game would become two years later, when the Athletics officially left Oakland at the conclusion of the 2024 season and moved to a temporary home in West Sacramento. Luzardo never played there again.

» READ MORE: Murphy: Making sense of the Phillies: Are they a great team after all? Or just beating bad teams?

“I cherish it,” Luzardo said. “Looking back at it in ’22, I’m happy I got a chance to pitch and kind of say goodbye, or whatever it might have been.”

The Marlins ended up losing that game in extra innings, but individually, Luzardo had shined, taking a no-hit bid into the sixth inning. Miami didn’t make the trip back in 2023, and Luzardo didn’t travel with the team to Oakland in 2024 after a stress reaction in his lower back ended his season in June.

Now a member of the Phillies, Luzardo is lined up to pitch against the Athletics on Sunday, in the finale of their three-game series in Sacramento. The Athletics’ eventual journey is supposed to take them to Las Vegas, but for now, they are sharing space with the minor-league Sacramento River Cats at Sutter Health Park.

Due to its age, the Coliseum was widely considered one of the worst stadiums in baseball. But for many of those who once called it home — including Luzardo — the ballpark had its own charm to it.

“I had a lot of good memories there,” he said. “I actually really enjoyed my time there. A lot of people didn’t, but I thought it was awesome. The grittiness, the history behind it. It was a fun place to play, and I really enjoyed my time. So it’s unfortunate that no team will be back.”

Luzardo was drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2016 out of high school, but the A’s acquired him a year later as part of the return for Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson. He was Oakland’s top-ranked prospect before his debut in 2019.

» READ MORE: Can Kyle Schwarber hit 500 home runs? It’s not that far-fetched. Here’s how he can get there.

“He’s a big-time arm and they knew he was going to be the type of guy he is,” said Bryce Harper, who was on the Nationals when Luzardo was drafted.

As a minor league park, the A’s temporary home has its own quirks. In addition to a smaller capacity, the clubhouses are in the outfield, rather than connected to the dugout, so pitchers have to walk across the field to leave the game like in spring training. Due to the area’s hot climate, it’s considered a hitter-friendly park conducive to home runs.

Luzardo has pitched at Sutter Health Park before, back when he was in triple A, so he has some familiarity with it. And the Sacramento series marks the Phillies’ second at a minor league park this month, after previously sweeping the temporarily-displaced Tampa Bay Rays at George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

“You tried not to think about it as much as possible,” Luzardo said. “You take the same mentality into every game, but at the same time, it is different. You can just kind of tell, the atmosphere, the fans, the dimensions, it’s a lot different. But at the end of the day, we simply go out there and play, and it is what it is.”

Luzardo has changed a lot since he was a member of the A’s. He’s off to his best start of his career in the major leagues, with his 1.95 ERA through his first 10 starts putting him third in the National League. Luzardo has pitched 60 innings already this season, nearing the 66⅔ he posted in his injury-shortened 2024.

“I definitely thought it was possible, but I know that it might come as a surprise to a lot of people,” Luzardo said. “It’s been a struggle at times in my career, but I think a little change of scenery at times is great, and just a breath of fresh air being around a good group of guys here.

» READ MORE: ‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Mick Abel on overcoming failure, collecting baseball cards, and more

“Nothing against the places that I’ve been. I had a great time, but it’s just a little different here. The environment, the clubhouse, it’s been great, and I felt very welcomed here. And I think that carries out onto the field.”

When Luzardo walks out to the mound against the Athletics on Sunday, it will be a reminder of how far he’s come. Even if the team that gave him his first shot in the majors has a slightly different name now.

“To me, it’ll always still be Oakland,” Luzardo said. “It’s weird calling them Sacramento.”