Jhoan Duran played a key role in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 2-0 win over Detroit on Sunday night at Citizens Bank Park. The game, which lasted just over two hours, saw Duran close out the ninth inning with high-velocity fastballs and secure the victory after a strong performance from starter Cristopher Sánchez.
Duran faced a loud crowd as he prepared to deliver what would be the final pitch of the night. With two outs and a two-strike count against Riley Greene, Duran initially thought he heard “changeup” through his PitchCom device but shook off catcher J.T. Realmuto’s call before agreeing on a fastball. He then threw a 102.5 mph pitch that resulted in a swinging strikeout to end the game.
“Hey, what did you call that last pitch?” Duran asked Realmuto on the field.
“Curveball,” Realmuto said.
“Oh, I heard ‘changeup’ on the PitchCom,” Duran said.
Realmuto smiled.
“I hadn’t called any curveballs, so I wanted to see one,” Realmuto said. “It’s really loud out there. I think that’s why he didn’t hear it perfectly. But he thought he heard changeup, so that’s why he shook it.”
Duran delivered four of the five fastest pitches by a Phillies pitcher since 2008 during his outing Sunday night.
“It feels normal for me,” Duran said. “I don’t think about it too much. I don’t think about how fast I’m throwing. It’s more like if I can control the fastball.”
Sánchez was effective through eight scoreless innings, giving up five hits and one walk while striking out six batters. His season record improved to 10-3 with an ERA of 2.40, and his performance has placed him among National League leaders in wins above replacement (WAR).
Phillies manager Rob Thomson noted that although Sánchez had only thrown 84 pitches and could have continued into the ninth inning, recent workloads and upcoming games influenced his decision to use Duran instead.
“That’s why we’ve got Duran,” Thomson said.
During tense moments in the seventh inning when Detroit threatened with runners in scoring position, Phillies infielders Trea Turner and Edmundo Sosa helped prevent runs with key defensive plays.
“It was tough just because the runner did a really good job of getting up the line and blocking my view,” Realmuto said. “Sosa made a great throw because normally, he would want to throw that on the inside, but where the runner was, he couldn’t make a throw inside the line. So he threw to the other side, which briefly I got blocked out of the ball. But he put it in the perfect spot for me to make a play.”
Sánchez expressed satisfaction with his outing during a nationally televised game.
“It’s just beautiful,” Sánchez said via the team’s interpreter, asked about pitching well in a nationally televised game. “It’s something special.”
Kyle Schwarber added insurance for Philadelphia with an eighth-inning solo home run onto Ashburn Alley before Duran finished off Detroit for his second save of the weekend series.
Realmuto commented on facing Duran’s repertoire: “I’m going to try to see a curveball eventually, but his fastball is just so good,” Realmuto said.
