Luzardo wearing his roots on his feet
WASHINGTON — A’s prospect Jesus Luzardo took the mound in Sunday’s Futures Game with his high school colors on one spike and the Venezuelan flag colors on the other.
The A’s prospect graduated in 2016 from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 students and faculty were killed in the Feb. 14 shootings.
“After what happened, I’m glad to be here and kind of represent them,” Luzardo said. “It’s always good to be known I was from Stoneman Douglas. I’m happy I was there. I grew up there.”
The shoe representing Stoneman Douglas has an outline of the state of Florida, the date of the killings and the number 17. The Venezuelan-colored shoe has the letters SOS. Luzardo was born in Peru to parents of Venezuelan descent, and the family moved to Florida when he was a toddler.
Asked his memories of the day of the shootings, Luzardo said, “I was playing golf with some buddies and running late to throw live BP to some batters at Douglas. I was on my way. I got a text from the baseball coach who said, ‘Don’t come, there’s shots, there’s an active shooter in the school.’ I went home, and I just remember chaos all around Parkland. It took hours to get to and from your house. It was just a mess for two days.
“I texted instantly all my friends and their little brothers on the baseball team. I was close to a lot of guys because I’d go there and practice a lot. It was a worrisome time. Everyone I knew got accounted for . ... Unfortunately, some people I knew weren’t.”
In the wake of the killings, Luzardo helped set up a memorial fund through the website YouCaring.com at https:// bit.ly/2F9qzgg.