A person can only take so much humiliation.
For the Oakland Athletics, losing the season’s first six games was the line. Starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo said that in the midst of the A’s first win of the campaign, against the World Series champion Dodgers, he decided he was fed up and wasn’t going to take it anymore.
Here’s what he said after the win, per the San Francisco Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara. Luzardo started the game and his outing was anything but smooth from the outset, allowing seven Dodgers to reach base in the first two innings.
“I think over the past six games we all just got tired of getting our ass kicked, to be honest with you,” Luzardo said. “And after the first, it was just internally, I’m done with it. I’m done getting embarrassed.”
San Francisco Chronicle
I missed the game live, but watching the replay in key spots, Luzardo indeed became much more assertive as the game went on. Notably, the hard-throwing, young left-handed starter began to own the inside of the plate, brushing back Dodger hitters who had been feasting on Athletics pitching.
It was an encouraging sign from one of the most talented players on the team. Will this win start a run of more victories? The A’s will find out as they face the Astros for the second time already, this time in Houston starting on Thursday.
(Photo credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)
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