Jesús Luzardo was in the spotlight for a few weeks after two rough outings with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he gave up a staggering 20 runs and saw his ERA skyrocket. But things may be turning around—and surprisingly, a bigger glove might be part of the solution.
As strange as it sounds, the larger glove seems to be helping Luzardo on the mound. That was evident in his most recent outing against the Cubs, where he allowed just one run over 6.0 innings, helping the Phillies to a 7-2 win.
It was on Wednesday, June 11, that Luzardo was first seen using the bigger glove—something Matt Gelb also highlighted in an article for The New York Times. Gelb noted a noticeable change in how Luzardo positioned the glove: “He held his glove higher and closer to the Phillies crest across his chest.”
Why is Luzardo using a bigger glove?
The decision stems from concerns that Luzardo may have been tipping his pitches—an issue speculated about after his recent struggles. Pitch tipping can happen without an MLB pitcher even realizing it, and using a larger glove allows him to better conceal the ball and his grip from hitters.
Gelb went on to describe Luzardo’s new mound routine: “He looked more attentive to every movement he made whenever a runner was on second base. He hid the ball — and his pitch grip — better.”
Luzardo confirms changes were made
It wasn’t just analysts noticing adjustments. Luzardo himself acknowledged that there were changes—especially in the details of his mound routine—though he didn’t directly confirm tipping was the issue.
“There’s a lot of things that we tinkered with,” Luzardo said. “The biggest thing was attention to detail.” After a much-needed solid outing, his ERA now sits at 4.23.
