Jhoan Duran made his debut as the new closer for the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night, helping secure a 5-4 comeback win over the Detroit Tigers at Citizens Bank Park. The victory put the Phillies in first place in the National League East with a half-game lead over the New York Mets.
Duran, who earned the nickname “Durantula” during his time with the Minnesota Twins due to his spider tattoos and themed gear, was acquired by Philadelphia before Thursday’s trade deadline. In exchange for Duran, the Phillies sent Top 100 prospects Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait to Minnesota. Outfielder Harrison Bader also joined the team as part of their deadline moves.
Duran’s entrance to the mound featured digital billboards showing spiders crawling through fire, red stadium lights, and a music mix of “El Incomprendido” by Farruko with “Hot” by Pitbull and Daddy Yankee. Fans were asked to turn on their phone lights during his entrance.
“I still feel incredible,” Duran said. “It’s amazing.”
His teammates responded positively to both his performance and entrance routine.
“It looked good from my locker,” Bryce Harper said. Harper was ejected in the seventh inning but commented on Duran’s impact: “It was great. We all know what it was like in Minnesota when he came in the game.”
The Phillies reached out to Duran after acquiring him, asking if they could replicate his signature entrance from Minnesota.
“Yes, why not?” Duran replied.
Statistically, Bader is currently considered Philadelphia’s best offensive outfielder and is expected to platoon with Brandon Marsh in center field for at least six games. Bader contributed by pinch-hitting for Max Kepler in the seventh inning; he walked and scored the game-tying run.
Duran established himself as Philadelphia’s new closer immediately, ending speculation about bullpen roles that had been shifting throughout previous seasons. His pitching included a four-seam fastball averaging 100.2 mph and a splinker (a split-finger/sinker hybrid) averaging 97.5 mph—he threw four splinkers between 98.4 mph and 99.7 mph during his ninth-inning save appearance.
“Plain and simple, he has close-the-door stuff,” Bader said of Duran. “I saw it all year. I’ve seen it on the other side.”
Duran wore uniform No. 59 with Minnesota but learned that Phillies manager Rob Thomson already used that number in Philadelphia. After being offered No. 59 by team officials—who noted its significance for both men—Thomson called Duran personally after Wednesday’s series finale in Chicago:
“The number really doesn’t mean much to me,” Thomson told Duran. “But if it makes you feel better, I’m all in.”
Duran accepted No. 59: “My wife almost cried,” he said about keeping his preferred number due to its personal significance from his time in the Dominican Republic.
Thomson will now wear No. 49 instead: “The only one that’s upset at this point is my wife because all her merchandise has ‘59’ on it,” Thomson said.
After traveling early from Minneapolis and settling into Philadelphia with his family, Duran described adjusting quickly: “It’s not easy,” he said about moving cities so suddenly after being traded but added that he felt comfortable thanks to support from teammates and staff.
