Jhoan Duran Instantly Becoming Fan Favorite Through First Two Save Opportunities
Photo by Caean Couto/Getty Images
It’s only taken two appearances, but Jhoan Duran already seems like the investment in him is paying off.
It’s been nearly a decade since the Philadelphia Phillies have been able to say that they have a dominant ninth-inning closer. From the likes of Tug McGraw, Brad Lidge, and yes, even Jonathan Papelbon, the Phillies have had multiple dominant arms closing out important games for them.
However, since Papelbon was traded back in 2015, the Phillies haven’t had someone whom they can confidently go to for the final three outs of the game. While for some years, it didn’t seem like that was the number one need for the Phillies, but in recent years, it’s been one of the biggest reasons why the Phillies haven’t been able to finish the job and win the World Series.
From Craig Kimbrel and Jose Alvarado to Hector Neris and Seranthony Dominguez, the Phillies have tried option after option to see if anyone could fill the void of a closer.
This past offseason, they let the two people who many thought could have been that guy, in Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman, walk in free agency. They were left with major question marks, and in response, they made subpar signings in Joe Ross and Jordan Romano.
Ross was seen as a long man/possible fifth starter, while Romano was signed as someone who had formerly been an All-Star closer for the Blue Jays, but quickly showed that he was not the answer for the Phillies. So heading into the 2025 trade deadline, Dave Dombrowski was tasked with finding an answer to that issue, and boy, did he deliver.
Dombrowski sent former first-round pick and No. 6 prospect Mick Abel, and 18-year-old catcher and No. 4 prospect Eduardo Tait to the Minnesota Twins, for closer Duran. Duran has been one of the best closers in baseball over the past number of years. Since 2023, he has recorded nearly 70 saves and ranks in the top 10 in the league in that category.
Duran was the best relief arm and arguably the best overall pitcher available at the deadline, and the Phillies were able to find a way to bring him to Philadelphia for not just the remainder of this year, but for years to come.
With Duran comes a nasty pitch arsenal of a blazing 101+ mph four-seam fastball, an incredible splitter (or “splinker” as some call it), and an occasional curveball and sweeper. His movement is one of the best in baseball, and the speed of the pitches he throws is otherworldly, and it’s been shown already.
In his first save opportunity as a Phillie, Duran dominated, needing just four pitches to finish off the Detroit Tigers Friday night in a comeback 5-4 win.
Then you move to Sunday Night Baseball in the rubber match against Detroit, and after Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez tossed eight innings of shutout baseball, Duran was called upon to close the door and did so with flying colors, picking up his second save as a Phillie.
On top of the dominant pitching, Duran also has one of the best entrances in baseball. It begins with the bell tolling from WWE superstar The Undertaker’s theme song, and is followed by a mix of two Latin songs, “El Incomprendido” by Farruko and “Hot” by Daddy Yankee and Pitbull.
His entrance not only hypes up the crowd, but it gets the fans involved with their flashlights on and waving while he makes his entrance through the dark and flashing lights. Similar to the likes of Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman, the Phillies have a closer who not only has dominant entrance music, but can back it up and close the door when called upon.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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