Jordan Romano is off to what looks like a ridiculous start—at least if you’re someone who watches the late innings closely.
As of Monday, April 13, 2026, the Los Angeles Angels reliever is sitting with a perfect 0.00 ERA and hasn’t allowed a hit through his first six appearances of the season. In those outings, the right-hander has also grabbed four saves, now pitching in Anaheim with his new club.
The numbers behind the storyline are pretty stark. Romano has thrown five innings in the early part of the campaign, striking out seven batters and issuing only two walks, according to game log data reported by Misryoum. His run included back-to-back hitless outings against the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners during the opening weeks of the season—two teams that at least in theory should be testing a bullpen like this.
If you want to see the shape of it, the game log reads like a mini highlight reel. There’s an appearance with a save on 03/26/2026 at Houston Astros, then another hitless outing on 03/27/2026 at Houston. He also picked up a save on 03/31/2026 at Chicago Cubs, followed by two more appearances against the Seattle Mariners on 04/03/2026 and 04/04/2026—one won’t have a line that feels normal, because it’s built on zeroes. On 04/06/2026 vs Atlanta Braves, Romano again logged a save while keeping the opponent off the bases.
What makes the turnaround feel even louder is how different this chapter looks from his previous stint with the Philadelphia Phillies. During his first six games in Philadelphia, the reliever posted a 12.60 ERA, yielding six hits and seven earned runs. So yeah—same pitcher, totally different early identity depending on the jersey. Actually, it’s not just “different,” it’s almost jarring, like the kind of shift you notice when the stadium quiets for a second and you realize a batter can’t time the ball.
Romano’s also moving quickly toward save benchmarks. He has already reached the halfway point of his 2025 save total, which stood at eight for the entire previous season. He didn’t record his fourth save last year until May 14, while he achieved the same milestone in early April this year. Sample size is limited—five innings worth of work isn’t a full season, and Misryoum newsroom reported that his early dominance still has that caveat attached. But the contrast in his early-season efficiency between franchises remains stark, even if you squint and try to talk yourself out of it.
Meanwhile, the schedule reality keeps nudging the story forward. The Los Angeles Angels currently play in Anaheim, a franchise that has not reached the postseason since 2014. And the Philadelphia Phillies are scheduled to begin a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night with a 7-8 record. Romano isn’t on that slate—but the Phillies’ early season stumble is somehow part of the same conversation, if only because the numbers with him have swung so hard.
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