Marlins pitcher Jesús Luzardo grew up in Parkland, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale and Miami that is characterized by transplants from the northeast United States and Latin America. Luzardo himself was born in Peru to Venezuelan parents prior to moving to Parkland when he was a year old. Based on the demographic makeup of his alma mater—Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School—and surrounding schools, it would have been easy to fall into the front-running fanbases of the Yankees, Red Sox, or even the Mets. But he opted for “the hometown team,” the then-Florida Marlins.
“My dad fell in love with them, then my grandpa as well,” the 25-year-old Luzardo said.