Mar 27, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jordan Romano (68) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images Reggie Hildred
WASHINGTON — The Phillies took a calculated risk this past offseason letting both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez walk in free agency, and signing Jordan Romano to a one-year/$8.5 million deal as he looks to rebound from an injury-plagued 2024 season.
The first relief appearance for Romano with the Phillies didn't go as anyone hoped, as he allowed two earned runs in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals Thursday after walking Dylan Crews to open the inning, and then following that up by plunking Jacob Young.
Romano's confidence didn't seem to be shaken postgame, but he was clear after a difficult first outing with the Phillies that he knows he needs to be better.
"For the first two batters, I think I was getting a little quick," Romano said. "After those two, kind of felt more like myself. But yeah, gotta be better than that next time."
Did nerves contribute to a lack of control to open his first appearance with the Phillies?
"Yeah, I'd say so," Romano admitted. "Just maybe a touch ... Opening Day. But yeah settled in, felt like myself ... but need to be better for sure."
Romano saw an uptick in velocity as the inning went on, and nearly limited the damage to one run by giving up an RBI groundout to CJ Abrams and then striking out James Wood. However, Luis García Jr. then flared a ball into center field. Brandon Marsh initially started back, which contributed to him not being able to get to a ball that dropped in center field and allowed the tying run to score. Had Johan Rojas been in the game, it's possible he could have made the play, but it would have taken a pretty special read to get there.
In any event, Romano says he felt more like himself after getting into some early trouble in the inning.
"Yeah for sure," Romano said. "Delivery started feeling more comfortable. Ball was coming out how I wanted near the end, but can't have those first guys get on like that."
'We love that kid': Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler praise Alec Bohm after crucial double
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The good news for Romano is that the three other arms who came in to relieve Zack Wheeler — Orion Kerkering, José Alvarado and Matt Strahm — were excellent. After a combination of shadows and tremendous pitching from MacKenzie Gore limited the Phillies to just one hit through the first six innings, they produced seven runs over the next four frames to pull out an extra-inning win.
"Whenever you can pitch poorly and the team bails you out, it's always a good feeling," Romano said.
Romano had 95 saves for the Toronto Blue Jays between 2021 and 2023, making two All-Star Game appearances. The Phillies bet on a bounce-back from him in 2025 after an elbow injury limited Romano to 15 appearances a season ago. As he stated multiple times, the Phillies need much better than what they got from him on Opening Day moving forward, whether he's utilized as a closer, set-up man or some combination of the two.
Also, for those of you wondering how to pronounce his last name, Romano — who was born in Markham, Canada — says that Canadians tend to say "Roh-MAN-oh," as opposed to "Roh-MON-oh" from Americans. He doesn't seem to be particularly offended by either, but the Canadian pronunciation of "Roh-MAN-oh" is what his parents say, and is therefore his preference.
